


Avengers: What is left unsaid

by EstelGreen



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Love, Mutant Powers, Science Fiction, Team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-05 23:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4198821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstelGreen/pseuds/EstelGreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a tragedy tore her apart, a young girl is trying to continue living her life but finds it harder than before. One day she recieves an emergency call that changes everything. The Avengers need her. Thanks to this she crosses paths with the Maximoff twins and realizes that maybe there’s still hope for finding herself again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 16\. 2. 2016 Just a quick update: I'm currently working on my thesis, but as soon as I finish I continue in writing this story. Don't be afraid, I wouldn't let it stay unfinished :)

“Life is…..weird,” I told myself while watching over the city from my spot on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in New York. The Avengers tower. The darkness of the night was slowly creeping from afar but unable to reach the city thanks to thousands of streetlamps and other light-emitting objects.

My heart was beating faster and faster, epinephrine surging through my veins as I slowly neared the edge. I had one of these stupid days when my head was flooded with memories and questions about my whole existence. You know, it’s funny how everyone out there, every one of the ordinary people thinks of you as someone who always had everything, not having to care about anything and living a happy life with billions of dollars on family account. _‘She’s the fortunate one who can buy anything and anybody.’_ Yeah, those were some of their thoughts, trust me I know. But what they don’t know is how hard my life really was; and still is. Eventually I reached the point where I stopped caring about what others think. But you just can’t stop thinking about some things from your past.

I finally reached the edge of the roof and cool night breeze blew into my face, playing with the loose strands of my honey blond hair. I shuddered, not from being cold, but from all the memories. Once again, just like for the past year, I was thinking of the times when it all went wrong.

* * *

 

Being a kid is great. You have nothing to worry about. Just having fun and bugging my older brother. That was my ultimate mission.

Our father, Ph. D. Kevin Blake, the genius scientist and our mother, Susan Blake, the teacher in the elementary school. Dad spent a lot of time in his lab and on science conferences meeting important people and other brilliant scientists from all around the world. I can’t say though, that he didn’t have time for family. Mom, my brother Danny and I used to come over to his work. We were always excited about going there because he used to do some interesting little experiments while we were watching him wide-eyed and laughing with his colleagues if something ‘accidentally’ blew up in his face. His lab was our Wonderland. Afterwards we would go for lunch or have a picnic in the park, playing some ball games or just enjoying the nice weather. Danny and I running around, chasing each other or chasing the poor pigeons and bawling like kids usually do.

Life was really great at that time. We didn’t have much but we had enough and we had each other. We were like the Three Musketeers with me as D’Artagnan being the youngest one. Nothing would separate us. At least that’s what we thought.

There was one thing we haven’t thought of much. We weren’t any ordinary family. Our father, being the mad scientist he was, started to do some genetic tests on his DNA. Just for fun, to keep himself occupied in the lab and to try out his new method of gene detection. However, what he found was unexpected. There was a strange mutation in his DNA but not knowing what it meant, he stashed it in the back of his mind where it was waiting for the right time to be analyzed again. That, of course, was before me and my brother were born.

I was three and Danny nine when dad remembered his weird discovery. There were some things going on with Danny that no one could explain. He took Danny’s blood and ran the same tests as he did ten years ago with his own blood. This time his observation was mind-blowing. There was the same mutation as in his own DNA but still somewhat different from it. It was…..activated. Researching all the available sources, he wanted to find out what it was. Finding nothing, he realized he just discovered something new, something strange but equally beautiful. He called it the X gene. This mutation caused that my brother could manipulate the water the way he wanted, even create it out of the air or change its structure and create ice.

Our father decided to do the test with my DNA too. The results were the same although the X gene wasn’t activated. Yet. Our mother was scared for us, for our future, but Danny being the brave big brother he was, learned pretty fast how to control his powers. Yes. Powers. As the years went, he gained more of them. The second was some kind of power-field manipulation which allowed him to throw power-balls and shield himself from outer danger.

Dad was thrilled. From that time he used to tell us every day how special we are. Mom accepted that after some time and we continued living our lives. Danny just had to hide his powers from the rest of the world. He didn’t mind it. Dad continued his research on the X gene and when he thought it was presentable, he decided to share it with the rest of the science community on one of the big conferences. I was six at that time and Danny twelve.

The conference was held in Miami, Florida. It was far from our home in Toronto, but for dad it was nothing new. He was used to travelling a lot. This time we managed to persuade him to take us with him. A little family trip. He agreed, not wanting to raise any suspicions in our mom who didn’t know about his research and that it concerned both me and Danny. We were also promised to go to Disney World in Orlando if we behave.

The conference went well, dad’s research getting much wanted attention but also taking a lot of criticism from those who didn’t believe him. The next evening there was a little banquet which all four of us attended. We even met the great Tony Stark and our dad discussed his theories with him. I didn’t move away from Danny the whole evening not feelingalright with all the people and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. After our dad said bye to his fellow scientists we finally went to our car and headed for the hotel. I still felt a bit nervous but also tired so I almost nodded off on the way. Then we started to chat about going to Disney World the next day, which slightly cheered me up. We ended up singing a song, all four of us. That is the part where my memories start to go a little fuzzy.

Dad was driving. He was smiling at us through the rear-view mirror. Mom faced us with a big smile and Danny was laughing at me because of something. Suddenly I was scared. I didn’t know why but a few seconds later a car hit us from behind with high speed. I screamed and then everything happened so fast. Another hit. Our car going off-road right into a small ravine. Mom disappearing through the front window leaving just a gaping hole covered in blood. Dad’s cries. Danny clenching my hand with shock and fear in his brown eyes. “Don’t let go!” I shouted at him. “Never!“ he shouted back. Then the car turned, and turned, and turned until everything went quiet and blackness filled my vision.

At first it was just humming in my ears. No words. Then I could hear more clearly and was trying to follow someone’s voice. It could have been minutes or hours that I was out.

“Emily? Do you hear me?” the voice asked. I babbled something in response not being able to think clearly.

“Will my sister be alright?” asked Danny from somewhere next to me. He sounded fine, but scared and tearful.

“Honestly? I don’t know kid. But if she’s at least a bit a fighter as you are, I’m sure she will,” I heard that strange voice say. It was a pleasant voice, calming even. I had a feeling I’ve heard it somewhere before. “Hey Rhodey, did you call the ambulance?”

“Yeah, I did. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes. But I think we should move further. The car might blow up,” another stranger said.

The second thing that came back to my consciousness was pain. Then I also found my voice.

“D-Danny,” I managed to whisper.

“I’m here Em. Everything is going to be OK. You are going to be alright little sis,” Danny said and I felt a hand caressing my cheek.

“H-hurts,” I mumbled.

Someone picked me up from the ground and held me firmly in his arms. In spite of being in pain I felt safe. My consciousness was slipping away again but before it could I managed to open my eyes at least a bit. The face I saw will forever stay burnt into my memory. It was the face of the man who saved my life.

* * *

 

“Em?”

My eyes snapping open I found myself standing at the edge of the roof. Alone. His voice just a cruel trick of my mind. Nothing new. Lately, I am still alone, keeping mostly to myself. Feeling torn apart. I took a deep breath to try to stop the tears from spilling from my eyes. It didn’t help. One was already making its way down my cheek.

I looked down to the streets. It wasn’t that late so they were still buzzing with life. _'I hope they won’t notice me.'_ Then I fixed my sight on the nothingness right before me, took a step forward and jumped off the roof.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's another chapter. Enjoy!

As I was falling down, my eyes closed, a scream was bubbling in my chest but I refused to let it out. After all, this wasn’t the first time I wanted to feel something different than emptiness and pain. So risking my life by jumping from the roof seemed like a suitable option for it. When I sensed the ground getting closer, I clenched my fists, imagined my bedroom and then disappeared in a burst of green energy.

I reappeared in my bedroom with a satisfied grin plastered across my face. But it didn’t go the way I’ve planned because I landed next to a wooden box, tripped over it and hit the edge of the bed with my shoulder. I groaned in pain and rolled over, massaging the painful spot. A small figure was standing over me.

“You should work more on the landing,” said a kid with deep brown eyes and messy dark brown hair.

“Who the hell put that box over there? It wasn’t here before!” I exclaimed angrily. “Bobby stop laughing, OK?”

Bobby looked guilty so I assumed he put the bloody box in the middle of my bedroom. I sat and leaned into the bed frame. My shoulder hurt like hell. Bobby kneeled beside me and hugged me tightly. I hissed in pain.

“I’m sorry Em. I didn’t do it on purpose. Does it hurt too much?” He looked at my shoulder, concern written all over his face.

“I know buddy,” I said and kissed the top of his head. “It’s probably broken or at least cracked but it will heal up in a couple of minutes. Don’t worry.” I ran my hand through his dark locks trying to smooth them down. Unsuccessfully. “What are you doing in my room, anyway?”

“I knew you’ll be coming home soon so I wanted to wait for you here. I have something for you,” he mumbled into my shoulder and then he gave me a colorful drawing. “See, this is me and this is you and we are at the beach. Do you like it?”

I ran my fingers over the figures on the paper and smiled. A typical abstract drawing by the four year old kid but for me it looked perfect. I kissed his forehead and said: “Of course I do. It’s beautiful, thank you.”

He smiled and snuggled closer to me. We sat like that for some time until the door opened and another person stepped inside.

“I heard a crash. I figured you are already home,” Pepper said with a smile carrying Jason in her arms. “The dinner’s ready if you two are interested.”

I awkwardly stood up and gave her a quick hug. Then I turned towards Jason. “Hey little brother. How are you today, huh? Troubling your mother again?” I tickled him on the belly and he chuckled.

“Well, he obviously got the personality after his father, so there’s not a day without him driving me insane. But you just have to love him.” Pepper laughed and kissed Jay. “What happened to your shoulder?”

“Well, I tripped.” I told her pointing to the box and the toys dispersed on the floor.

“Bobby you can’t make a mess in Emery’s room just like that. You will clean it up later, OK?” she scolded him.

“Yes, auntie Pepper,” he murmured, looking sad.

“Hey buddy, it’s OK. I don’t mind the mess,” I tried to cheer him up on the way to the kitchen.

“You know you are spoiling him, right?” Pepper told me when he disappeared from our sight.

“Yeah, well, it’s my duty to spoil him. I’m his aunt.” I smiled a sad smile and went after him.

Later that night Pepper and I were watching TV. Bobby was running around and playing with his toys (which included the whole set of the Avengers figures) while Jay was napping on the sofa next to us. I could see that Pepper was agitated, still changing the TV stations and desperately searching for some news. I gently put my hand on hers and took the remote control. She sighed and leaned her head on the headrest.

“Jarvis, would you please play some animated movie?” I called.

“Of course Miss. Which one would you like?” Jarvis said with his British accent. 

“Big Hero Six!” Bobby shouted and Pepper shut her eyes, frowning.

“No. Something else. You are going to bed in a while anyway. Hotel Transylvania maybe,” I said and Bobby scowled but didn’t say anything.

“As you wish Miss.”

The movie started and Bobby fixed his eyes on the television. I looked at Pepper and grabbed her hand. She looked at me with sad eyes.

 _‘Why hasn’t he called yet? What if something went wrong! What if…’_ I could tell she was worried. But she is worried all the time.

 _“Hey, listen. Nothing went wrong. He’s just busy. You know how he is when he’s obsessed with something. And besides even with his super jet the flight will take some time. Sokovia is not that close. Also he has his superhero friends with him. They have his back,”_ I told her telepathically so Bobby wouldn’t hear. If I thought it would calm her down I was wrong. “Come here,” I whispered and let go of her hand. She laid her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her. My shoulder was already healed up. I focused on spreading the calming effect around me and instantly felt her loosen up.

“How can you be so calm when you know he always rushes into the biggest trouble or causes it?” she asked.

“Oh trust me, I do worry. Dad is…….dad. But he is a big guy, he can take care of himself. And also I’m not saying I support his avenging but he has his reasons and I do understand those reasons. However, I try not to think about it much because it would drive me nuts,” I explained.

“Huh. I guess I should’ve already got used to it but after the last time, well, you know.” She sighed and then stood up. “I should probably get them to bed. It’s getting late.”

I nodded. “I’ll stay for a while longer.”

“Don’t you have classes tomorrow?” she asked suspiciously.

“I do. I won’t be long though. Just until the movie ends,” I pointed to the screen.

“Alright. But no longer.”

“Yes, mom.” I snickered and winked. “Good night buddy.” I placed a kiss on Bobby’s forehead when he neared the sofa. “And sweet dreams.”

“Good night Em. I love you,” he said sleepily and kissed my cheek.

“Love you too.” And with that they left me alone in the living room. I laid down on the sofa, turned onto my side and continued watching the movie. But slowly the memories flooded my mind again.

* * *

 

When I opened my eyes I was in a white room and felt a fresh breeze on my face. My ears were filled with a beeping sound and as I slowly turned my head I saw many machines around me. Sun was trying to fight its way into the room through the curtains but was losing the battle. I looked on the other side of the bed I was lying on and saw Danny curled up in an armchair wrapped up in some blankets. My body hurt. My head hurt. But he was here and he was alright so I knew we will make it through. There was something pushing on the back of my mind. Some memory but I couldn’t get a hold on it.

“You are awake!” Danny suddenly called up, relief in his eyes. He leaned closer to me and took my hand in his. “I was so afraid I’ll lose you.”

“You won’t get rid of me that easily big brother,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from being unconscious. He chuckled with fresh tears in his eyes. “What happened? I don’t remember.”

He gulped and cleared his throat. “You don’t?”

I shook my head in response.

“Um, there was an accident,” he managed to get out. “The car….” He bowed his head unable to continue. But he didn’t have to. His words pulled that memory out from hiding and I suddenly remembered everything. Singing. Laughing. The fear. The crash. The ravine. The hole in the window created by mom’s body. Danny’s scared eyes. The blackness. Our savior’s face. Tears started to fall from my eyes as heavy sobs shook my body. Danny sat on the bed next to me and held me gently in his arms.

“M-mommy? D-daddy?” I asked between sobs; part of me already knowing the answer.

Danny pushed me from himself and looked me in the eyes. He shook his head while tears were running down his face. When another sob shook my body he hugged me again and we sat like that, crying, for what felt like eternity. There was only the two of us now. Just like that we became orphans.

After some time a doctor came into the room followed by the man who saved us. Now, even if shaken, I could clearly see who he was. I knew him. Everyone knew him and dad talked to him just yesterday. Or at least I thought it was yesterday. It was Tony Stark.

“Well, I see you are finally awake, princess.” He smiled at me and patted Danny’s shoulder. “You kept us worried for three days. I’m glad you are alright.”

“Three days?” I asked with a small voice.

“Yes, but you are a fighter, little one. You hit your head pretty bad and have some cracked ribs and a broken arm. Vitals are looking stable, though. You will soon be able to go….” The doctor didn’t finish because of Danny.

“Where? Our parents are dead!” he shouted. New tears welled in my eyes.

“You are Canadians so you will be deported back to Toronto and the local authorities will take care of the rest,” said a strange woman dressed up in an elegant black dress and a jacket. She might’ve been in her forties. “Excuse me for interruption I was sent here from the child services. I am here for Daniel Jason Blake. That must be you,” she looked at Danny who was sitting by my side. “My name is Bethany Clarke but you can call me Bethy.”

“I won’t be calling you anything. And I’m definitely not going anywhere with you. I’m not leaving my sister,” he growled, arms crossed on his chest.

“I’m sorry boy, but you don’t have a choice. You will be placed into a nice orphanage for now and when your sister is well enough to travel, we will take you back home,” she informed him trying to keep her kind composure.

“Home? We don’t have home anymore. I suppose you won’t let us stay in our house. You’ll just put us into another orphanage back in Canada!”

“Actually, your sister here has a pretty good chances at being adopted. She is just six years old. A little princess with her blonde hair and green eyes. I’m sure there will be a lot of families offering her home.” She came closer and wanted to touch my cheek but Danny swatted her hand away and held me closer.

“And what about Danny?” Stark asked.

“He will be placed into the orphanage or maybe into some foster family. I can’t promise anything right now.” She seated herself in the armchair.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! You want to separate them? They only have each other for Christ sake!” Tony threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

“Mind you language, Mr. Stark, there are kids here!” she raised her voice, clearly irritated.

I let out a whimper and clenched Danny’s arm more tightly. I really didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

“I’m not leaving my sister. Ever!” Danny cried.

“I’m sorry but there is nothing you can do to change it. Come on.” She stood up and wanted to grab my brother’s arm but Stark blocked her.

“Get out of my way!” she exclaimed angrily. At this another man came into the room. It started to get crowded.

“What’s going on?” he asked with his eyes on Stark who was looking at Ms. Clarke.

“I’m taking the kids,” Stark said, ignoring the other man’s question. “Both of them.”

“Oh, really? And for how long?” she asked, incredulous.

He looked over at me and Danny huddled on the bed. We were staring at him with big eyes, hope raising in our chests. At first I saw uncertainty in his brown eyes but then it was replaced with stubborn determination. “For as long as they want to.” 

“Tony, you can’t be serious. Look man, you don’t have the slightest idea of how to raise a child,” the other man said. It didn’t have the wanted effect on Stark, he still looked determined to do it. “Damn it Tony, you are a child yourself! At least mentally. How the hell do you want to take care of two little kids?”

“This young gentleman over here has a point. That kind of lifestyle you prefer Mr. Stark is definitely not suitable for parenting two children. I’m strongly against it and I’m sure that there’s no one who would allow you to legally adopt these kids,” Ms. Clarke stepped into their conversation.

I looked at Danny with a question in my eyes. He immediately understood. He nodded and I nodded too, not needing words to express what we think. Tony Stark was our only option to stay together and we weren’t going to let it slip away even if that meant leaving Canada for good.

“Well, you haven’t met my lawyers yet, Ms. Clocker,” I heard Stark say.

“It’s Ms. Clark not Clocker!” she corrected him.

“Whatever. And Rhodey, on whose side are you really? When I say I’ll take care of them then I will!” he gave ‘Rhodey’ a death-stare.

“We want to stay with Tony!” Danny spoke up. I looked at him, surprised. ‘ _Since when does he call him Tony?’_ But then I remembered that he probably spent the past three days with him.

“You heard him? Now get out of here! My little princess needs to rest!” He motioned with his hand towards the door and Ms. Clarke angrily walked out with him and ‘Rhodey’. That was the last time we ever saw that woman or anyone from child services.


	3. Chapter 3

I was sitting in the auditorium and listening to professor’s lecture. At least I was trying to. He was madly waving with his hands while explaining the neural pathways in the brain. My head in turn started to throb and the more I tried to concentrate on what he was saying the worse it got. I fixed my eyes on the pen lying on my notepad. It started to float in the air.

“Shit!” I was losing the grip on my powers again. It usually happened when I was tired and today I definitely was. Falling asleep on the sofa maybe wasn’t the best idea and everyone in the auditorium being sleepy didn’t help at all. _‘I hate my enhanced empathy.’_

I took the pen and put in back on the table. Then I closed my eyes and put my head into my hands. In a while I managed to turn off all the noise in the room by concentrating on my breathing. I almost fell asleep when I felt a slight nudge into my ribs. I looked up and saw my friend Sara looking at me and mouthing ‘professor’.

“Miss Stark? Are you here with us? Or are you still in your fantasy land?” the professor asked, evoking a collective chuckle.

“I’m sorry, I have a headache,” I spluttered.

“Well then, maybe you shouldn’t party so much,” he grinned, satisfied with himself. _‘Moron. Parties are the last thing I would think about!’_

“Can you be so nice and answer my question?”

I looked at Sara not having any idea what he’s talking about. “What question?” I demanded.

“The one I asked you while you were sleeping,” he clarified with a smile. Everyone laughed except for Sara and me.

“I wasn’t sleeping! But I didn’t hear your question, so ‘can you be so nice’ and repeat it?” I used his own words with a hint of sarcasm. I had enough of his games.

“Oh, I will be so nice. Just this time. Next time you can pack your things and leave. And I don’t care who your father is.” I clenched my fists. “So, the question. What part of the hypothalamus regulates the circadian oscillations?”

My eyes grew wide and I looked at Sara for an answer. She just shrugged. _‘Great. Now I wish I had different kind of telepathic powers.’_

“I have no bloody idea,” I told him and crossed my arms.

“Very well. You should listen next time and maybe you would know. If I let you come to this lecture again. Now you can pack your ‘bloody’ things and go sleep somewhere else.” Everyone was quiet and waiting for my response. I wasn’t very far from losing it completely. But that would endanger everyone in the room, not just the arrogant imbecile who thinks he owns the world.

“Fine. But just so you know, you are doing me a favor. It’s a challenge to listen to your babbling without headache. With it it’s even worse.” I jerked my bag from under the table, put it on my shoulder and walked out with my head set high. When I closed the door I sighed. My head was probably going to explode. “He can go fuck himself!” I muttered and continued walking.

I’ve just sat in the car when my phone rang. It was dad.

“Hey there,” I said and smiled to myself.

“Hey. How’s my little princess doing?” he asked.

“Don’t even ask. How are you? Everything went according to plan? Not that I would know what the plan was. Did you get that bloody scepter? Is everyone alright? Are you?” I flooded him with questions.

“Whoa, wait a second. I can’t even remember the first question. You are worse than Pepper, you know?” he laughed. “I’m OK. We have the scepter. Others are OK too, just Hawkeye got hit, but he will walk it off. The rest I’ll tell you back home.”

“Alright, I’m on my way. Be there in an hour.” I put the phone down and started the car.

When I came home he was already waiting in the doorway smiling, looking good as always.

“There’s my little girl,” he called and hugged me tightly when I stepped out of the car. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, dad,” I smiled and hugged him back. “But now I want to hear everything.”

“As you wish.”

We went to his office, or more like a workshop, in the cellar. He sat down on the edge of the table and motioned for me to do the same. I remained standing.

“OK, so, we met those two kids. They are enhanced. My guess is the scepter.”

I stared blankly in front of me. I didn’t expect that. “So that son of a bitch did it again! And this time he succeeded! Tell me you got him!”

“I wish I could put my hands on that bastard but I didn’t. Although, NATO got him. He’s not going to cause more trouble.” He said clenching and unclenching his fists. Anger in his voice.

“Good. Even though I would rather have my own way with him. Maybe run him over with a bulldozer a couple times. Or put him through the same experiments he did on his ‘patients’.” I ran my hands across my face. The headache was really getting the ‘best’ out of me.

“Emery?” Dad asked his voice suddenly calming.

“What?” I snapped and looked around. Most of the smaller things were floating in the air. I retracted my telekinesis and sat on the chair while everything fell down. “I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

“Hey, sweetheart, are you feeling alright? I thought you were stable. Both Hill and Romanoff confirmed it.” He took my hand and looked at me with concern.

“I’m just tired and have a headache. I didn’t sleep well last night and couple of nights before.” I felt tears coming to my eyes so I tried to fight them off. “Or I should say I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for the past year and half,” I whispered, head hanged low.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. There was nothing that could be said so he just embraced me. After a while I pulled back.

“Those kids as you say. Where are they? Are they alright?” I asked him.

“Hah. Wellbeing of those little bastards should be the least of your concerns. I don’t know much, Cap has all the information, but it seems they volunteered for those experiments. From what I’ve heard the guy is super-fast and the girl is just weird. I think she did something to me. Messed with my head back there.”

“Another telepath? Are you alright dad?” I looked into his eyes searching for anything.

“She is different than you. She…..doesn’t have to touch people in order to get into their heads. She also probably doesn’t have full control of her powers. Maybe even she doesn’t know everything what she can do. You practiced it for more than half of your life. I guess that your telepathy is stronger than hers even if you are limited with a direct contact.”

I nodded. It would make sense. She is not a mutant like me. She’s enhanced. “But what has she done to you?”

“She……it’s hard to explain.”

“Then show me.” I offered holding out my hand.

“No. I’d rather not. I don’t want you to go through it. It was something like a vision or hallucination connected to my memories.”

“You saw those alien things from the Battle of New York again, didn’t you?” I gave him a sad smile.

“How…?” He looked shocked.

“I know you dad. I don’t even have to look into your head. But I don’t understand how anyone could willingly volunteer for Strucker’s unhuman experiments?” I wondered.

He just shrugged and looked at his watch. “I have to go.”

“Where? You just came back!” I gave him a hurt look. “I thought we’ll have at least a dinner together as a family and talk a bit. I know Pepper wants it too. You are barely at home lately!”

“I have some work waiting for me back at the Avengers tower. I need to finish it. It’s the last project and it’s important.” He grabbed his car keys and walked out of the workshop. I followed him.

“You always say that and then you find another project! Another distraction! This time it’s your Ultron program. What will it be next? You think robots will solve every problem? I’ll tell you something. They won’t!” I shouted at him, losing my nerves.

“We won’t be able to fight those things out there on our own!” He grabbed me and motioned to the sky. “I’m doing this to protect you. To protect Pepper and Jay and Bobby! I can’t lose either of you!”

“Well, I don’t need your protection. I can take care of myself.” I stepped away from him and walked away. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“Where are you going Em?” he shouted after me.

“Somewhere where I can clear my mind.” I said, not knowing if he heard me or not and teleported away.

I was standing in the living room. I slowly looked around in the dim light. Furniture covered with white sheets, dust dancing in the thin rays of sunshine coming through the curtains. My eyes found a framed picture on the shelf above the fireplace. I picked it up, cleaned the dust off of it and looked at the smiling strangers on the photo. They looked so happy and carefree. They were in the garden sitting in the grass. It’s hard to believe that it was five years ago. The whole Stark family. Dad, Pepper, Danny, Danny’s wife Melanie with hands on her growing belly, and me. I remember that day as if it was yesterday but at the same time I don’t recognize those people anymore. I put it back on the shelf and picked up another picture. It was the tree of us, me, Danny and dad on the beach in Miami on one hot summer day sixteen years ago. It has been a perfect day, one of those that you would remember forever. At least that’s what dad said then.

* * *

 

The three of us just finished building a sand castle. It was huge. Danny was standing near me while I was sitting in the shallow water trying to cool myself. Tony was swimming in the sea and I was closely analyzing his every move. He was teaching me how to swim for a week by now and I was slowly getting better at it.

He came towards us. “Hey, you little mermaid princess. Are you going to sit around here or are you going to join me?”

I giggled and raised my hands so he helped me stand up. That’s when he realized that Danny is looking at two talking girls.

“Why don’t you go over there and talk to them?” Tony asked tearing Danny from his thoughts.

“Huh? Well I…I don’t know. It’s just…nah, forget it.” He scowled and scratched the back of his neck.

“Danny has a secret crush!” I sang and burst into giggles.

“Shut up Em! I don’t have a crush,” he growled. “They are my classmates.”

“So what’s keeping you from talking to them?” Tony raised his eyebrows.

“I…I don’t know what to say to them.” Danny lowered his head and looked at his feet.

“OK. Note to myself: teach the kid how to talk to girls.” Tony laughed and I joined in.

“Yeah, leave it to Tony and you will have a whole army of fan girls chasing you around in no time. Then you’ll regret it and will need someone like me to chase them away,” Happy said, making his way towards us with a bottle of orange juice in his hand. I giggled again and then took a sip from the bottle he gave me.

“I want to swim!” I spoke up and Tony tickled me. We left into deeper water, laughing.

When we came back to our blankets, Tony threw himself on one, lying face down looking like a starfish. “I have no idea where those kids get so much energy!” He was mumbling into the blanket.

Danny laughed as he wrapped a towel around me. “Em has always had a lot of energy. Get used to it, Tony.” I punched him in the stomach and he rolled over groaning and pretending he is mortally wounded.

I threw myself on Tony’s back and hugged him.

“What now little one?” he asked me, sitting up and hugging me close.

“I….love you. Dad,” I whispered. It hit both him and Danny unprepared. That was the first time I called him ‘dad’. It was something over a year after the horrible accident.

“Well, erm, I love you too kiddo. I love both of you,” he said into my hair and I felt him smiling.

* * *

 

I returned the picture back on its place and walked away. I took the stairwell leading to the lower level where Danny’s small workshop once has been. It still looked messy down here like he just went outside for a while and was about to return every minute. Well, except for the thick layer of dust. I walked towards the wall and ran my fingers through inscribed initials in it. D. J. B. and next to it E. R. B. I pushed at the E. R. B. initials and a screen appeared next to it. I placed my hand over the screen and waited until it scanned my hand. Then the wall parted and revealed a secret door in the cloud of dust. I coughed and walked inside. The door closed and lights lit the room. Machines and computers turned on as well.

I sat on one of the chairs and searched through the pile of papers lying on the table. Sketches, formulas, test results and other similar stuff. I leaned into the backrest and looked around. _‘I haven’t been here in a long time,’_ I thought. It was too painful before. It’s not less painful now but something brought me here. I wasn’t really thinking about a concrete place when I teleported. I just wanted some peace and quiet. It was reckless of me, I could’ve ended up on some weird and dangerous place. _‘But I didn’t, so whatever.’_

Danny and I built this secret lab in honor to our deceased parents. That’s why those initials. Daniel Jason Blake and Emily Rose Blake. But we weren’t those kids anymore. They died in the car accident seventeen years ago along with their parents. We changed our names as the police suggested because it turned up it wasn’t an accident. Someone pushed our car off the road on purpose. They were after father’s research and after his ‘subjects’. Us. Not that the police knew, but Tony did. They even raided father’s lab back in Toronto. Never found anything though. He had everything on an external hard disk and in his notepad stored in a briefcase. Tony saved the briefcase and when we were older he gave it to us. Now it’s lying on the table on the other side of the lab. They’ve never caught those bastards who did this to us. _‘Well, not then. Now I know they finally have him. Now I know who I have to ‘thank’ for losing my parents.’_

That’s how we became our new selves. Daniel Roy Stark and Emery Jane Stark. Danny wasn’t very happy about changing our names so he changed only the middle name. I, on the other hand, liked the idea. I didn’t feel like Emily anymore. So I somehow put Emily and Rose together and named myself Emery. _‘What a joke. I don’t feel like Emery anymore either. I don’t know who I am. A daughter? A sister? An aunt? A scientist? A doctor? No, I have to finish the bloody school first, then I’ll be a doctor. But neither of those sounds like me. I’m….nobody. I’m like an experiment that went wrong.’_

“I’ve never asked for any of this!” I screamed looking at my hands. “I just want to be normal,” I whispered. “I want my dad back. Spending his time with us not machines. I want....my brother back.” _‘I want everything to be the way it was before the Battle of New York.’_ I laughed. _‘I can’t even say that I want my parents back. I don’t remember them anymore. I have just a small picture of them stashed in a drawer in my bedroom. The last real memory of them I have, is the night they died.’_

“Fuck. Everything is so fucked up that it can’t be worse.” I caught a pile of papers and threw it in the air. “Everything is gone. Our bloody research.” I stood up and kicked into the table. “Our plans.” I swiped the rest of the papers on the table and they fell to the floor. “Even you!” I threw a glass on the far wall where it shattered into pieces. I fell to the ground, head in my hands, tears falling from my eyes. _‘And my sanity is gone too.’_

I sat there, in the center of the mess I made, for what felt like hours. It was too quiet around me. Just the low humming of the machines. Then I saw something colorful under one of the papers. I reached for it. It was a photo of me and Danny. I was wrapped in his arms with a huge smile on my tired face. Danny’s eyes were smiling too while he was pressing a kiss on the top of my head. It was the day we finally finished building this secret lab and one of the installed cameras took a picture of us. Danny loved the picture so much he had to print it.

“I miss you brother. I miss your calming voice in my head,” I whispered to the picture and ran my fingers over Danny’s face. When I tore my eyes from him I stood up, walked to the central computer and put the picture next to one of the screens. That’s when I saw something interesting. There was a notification on the screen.

Vibranium incorporation: FINISHED  
Design upload: FINISHED  
Manufacture: FINISHED

I looked at the door leading to another lab where we had some impressive machines and 3D printers. There was a green light over the door. _‘The last time I was here I didn’t schedule any manufacture. Only if…Danny?’_ I wondered.

I came to the door and opened it. The light immediately turned on and I looked in front of me, my breath caught in my throat, my eyes wide. “I can’t believe it!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I hope you like my fic. Here is another chapter as promised. Thanks everyone who left kudos or comments it makes me writting more and more.

Danny and I, we had a plan. That plan included a special research we were working on since the Battle of New York. Everyone has a hobby, as dad usually says. Or distraction. This was ours. Nobody knew about it, not even dad. That’s why we were lucky we had a secret lab. I can’t say that everything we did was legal. What? We were mad scientists, we had it in our blood. Taking vibranium from Klaue definitely wasn’t legal but we needed it so we did it anyway.

When we were sure there were no more powers we could develop, we decided to test our limits. After different tests we performed, we found out that our powers can’t be so easily defined. It was more like a general thing. Danny could manipulate the inorganic matter and I could manipulate the organic matter. He could manipulate the inorganic molecules of the organic matter too. The water in cells, the iron in blood etc. I was doing my own little research using my powers on different cell lines, both animal and plant. Eventually I discovered I can make the cells do what I want – grow, die, duplicate, move, regenerate, change their characteristics, form 3D structures and then return to one layer structure. After some time I was working mainly with animal fibroblasts and stem cells to which I did many modifications. Danny sometimes helped me, or was working on his own research.

Thanks to that special power I was able to heal myself from anything in few minutes or hours. It depended on how serious the damage was. In time it came to my mind that if I can make the cells do something, maybe I can heal another person too. Not just myself. I tried it on plants at first. After some trial and error and constant training I was able to do just that. Later I tried it on Danny after he thought he’s a bloody ninja and tore a tendon in his leg. It worked. I was so happy. I could see myself as a doctor in the emergency department saving people’s lives with my powers. But not everything always goes the way you would like. My life is a perfect example of it.

After the Battle, when aliens invaded New York, we decided that maybe there will be time when The Avengers will need us. Because as dad said, those aliens are coming back. The real question is – when? Danny and I, we decided to join our researches into one and discover something no one have ever seen or heard about.

“You can’t be a superhero without proper suit,” he used to say. Danny, being overprotective as always, wanted a material that no bullet or blade can damage and so it can’t kill us. I told him that I can heal really fast without even thinking about it but then he told me: “Maybe you can, but you would be of no use for another fight. It drains you out of your energy.” Well, I had to admit that he had a point. Unfortunately there wasn’t a material that would be suitable for what we planned. Then we somehow learned about Klaue and his (probably stolen) vibranium. So we contacted him under carefully chosen alias. We met him afterwards, arguing with him about the money. I couldn’t listen to it anymore so after a little mind-control he was more than willing to give us what we wanted. For free.

Thanks to our powers it looked really promising mainly when we combined them. But still, it took us some time to figure out how to incorporate the vibranium particles into different materials varying from leather, different types of fabrics to cells. We almost had it. I drew designs for our suits, accessories and plain shirts or tank tops (why not protect yourself in the everyday life). We managed to fabricate some shirts and we were happy as ever. Danny had a plan to work on his suit next because I was struggling with some parts for mine. I wanted to use different combinations of material with vibranium, even my stem cells. It didn’t work the way I wanted. I was stuck. And then shit happened and I set my foot into our lab only today.

But there it was in its whole beauty. My suit and all the accessories. _‘Danny must’ve figured out the part I was still missing and wanted to surprise me after we return from the trip. Which we never did. Well, not all of us._ _So this was what brought me here? Maybe my enhanced intuition works too well,’_ I thought. _‘But without Danny, the plan is long gone. I don’t need a suit.’_ I turned to leave but then something occurred in my mind. “Um, trying it out won’t hurt though.”

I quickly stripped into my underwear and took the parts of the suit. I struggled with the black leggings a bit but then succeeded. Next came the long green tank top which ended with a short skirt and the black-and-green jacket with sleeves to my elbows. I put the green boots at last and looked in the mirror on the wall. My face covered under the jacket’s hood, I was gaping at my reflection. Whoever that girl was, it wasn’t me. But at the same time I couldn’t feel more like myself as in that moment.

I tore my eyes from the mirror and looked at the last part lying on the table. Fingerless gloves to limit the contact of my skin with the skin of somebody else. A small barrier between my mind and the mind of the other person. Because that part I can’t control. Whenever I touch someone I can read his or hers thoughts. I can’t block it. I can block only my own mind so the people I touch won’t see my thoughts. That’s why the gloves. If I need to use my telepathy I still have uncovered fingers. But these gloves are special. They have two long green strips, exactly the same as the belt strips on the dress. They are all made from the modified stem cells with incorporated vibranium molecules which hold them firmly together.

I took the jacket off and put the gloves on, strips falling to the ground. I closed my eyes and tried to connect to every single cell in the strips. Then I made them move, the strips wrapping around my arms all the way to my shoulders. I could feel the cells sticking to my skin, communicating with my own cells. “Wow. That’s…incredible.” It was a rather weird feeling but not bad.

I realized that the gloves weren’t the last part. There was a beautiful mask with carved wave-like shapes so it would cover at least a part of my face but still be special in its own way. It was almost like a lace but less complicated, leaving some parts uncovered. I wondered how it should stick to my face, there wasn’t a strand to hold it on my head. The moment I took it in my hands I already knew how. It was made from the same material as the strips. I put it on my face and the cells stuck to my own. Then I put the jacket back on, hood over my head and looked in the mirror again.

“Damn. Can’t I wear it to school? I feel like I could do anything.” I stood in a boxing style with my fists raised high and punched the air before me. I was grinning like a little kid on Christmas day. Then my phone rang.

“Shit. It’s Pepper. Whoa, is it that late already?” I looked shocked when I saw the time. I answered the call and listened to Pepper’s worried voice and she ordered me to come back home immediately. I changed into my normal clothes and teleported home, leaving the suit where I found it.

I haven’t seen my dad for three days now. Pepper had to leave to Washington because of some important business meeting and I was left alone babysitting Jay and Bobby. It was a weekend so I didn’t have any classes but still I thought I’ll spend that time doing something different. Wasn’t that lucky though. Instead of relaxing or having fighting lesson with Nat, I was running all day chasing Bobby, calming down unhappy Jay and cooking some meal because even our cook had something else to do. A family weekend as he said. _‘Nice, at least someone cares about spending time with family.’_

It was late in the evening when I lost my nerves and used my calming powers on Jay so he would fall asleep. It worked. I carried him to his bedroom, placed a kiss on his forehead and returned back to living room where Bobby was messing around with his Thor figure. I threw myself on the sofa and let out a heavy sigh. Then I checked my phone for missed calls. Nothing. I had a bad feeling that something bad had happened. Usually those feelings are right. I dialed dad’s number and waited. He didn’t answer. I knew that he was organizing a party in The Avengers tower because he left me an invitation (we are still not speaking to each other). But I had to babysit and, well, it’s probably better when others doesn’t know about me. Besides, being in a room full of people and the high risk of someone brushing my arm accidentally is really not my thing. Danny was the one who loved parties. Sometimes he dragged me along, arms covered in long-sleeved shirt to minimize the contact with strangers. But still it was too many emotions for my head. I was drunk from just feeling someone’s drunken state. As for myself, I couldn’t get drunk thanks to my powers.

“Jarvis, could you play some comedy, please?” I called but was met with silence.

“Jarvis? Hey, buddy, wake up.” Still nothing. _That’s weird, he always answers._

“Have you decided to ignore me too?” I scratched my head and stood up.

“Maybe he’s just sleeping,” said Bobby sitting on the carpet playing with toys.

“Bobby, he’s a computer program. He doesn’t sleep,” I told him and went to check the central computer but was stopped with my ringing phone. It was dad.

“Nice that you let me know you are still alive,” I snickered. “Listen, I think something’s wrong with Jar-.”

“Emery take Bobby and Jay and lock yourself in the bunker or if you know about any other safe place then go there. Somewhere far away,” he was talking so fast my brain couldn’t catch up.

“Wait. Slow down. What happened?” I asked scared.

He sighed. “I…messed up. I did something stupid. It went wrong.”

“Dad! I warned you not to do anything stupid!” I raised my voice. “What have you done this time?”

“I, well, we somehow created a murder-bot,” he said matter-of-factly.

“A WHAT?!” I shouted and Bobby looked at me with question in his eyes.

“A genocidal robot.”

“Are you…FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Nope.” I could imagine his guilty face. “I wish I was. He attacked us and left.”

“ATTACKED YOU?! I…I can’t believe it,” I laughed an unhappy laugh. “How many times did I tell you that Ultron Program is bullshit? How many times?!”

“OK, now is not the time for you to scold me. Thor already tried to choke me, alright? We have to stop Ultron and you take the kids and hide away,” he ordered. “You hear me? Hide away! Do not try to do something reckless.”

“Like what? Create a buddy for your Ultron? Maybe I’ve got a talent to run into every problem as you do, but I’m not that stupid.”

“Thanks,” he said.

“You are welcome. I’m going to find some hide-out, OK? And you clean up the mess you caused. Be careful,” I whispered the last thing. “Call me when it’s taken care of.”

“Yeah. Be safe. Love you kiddo,” he mumbled and cancelled the call.

“What’s wrong?” Bobby asked with big eyes.

“Nothing, sweetie. Dad just messed something up as usual. We are going for a trip,” I informed him.

“Yay!” he cheered.

“Pack what you want, meet me here in ten,” I ordered.

“Yes ma’am!” he saluted and ran into his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you had a nice week. Are you ready for another chapter? So enjoy it!   
> Guess who will finally make an appearance in the next chapter.

We ended up in Danny’s house. I hoped that Ultron wouldn’t find us here, if he would get the idea to go after us. _‘Malibu is pretty far away from New York so I guess we are good,’_ I thought. And another reason for picking this place as a hide-out is that it’s not controlled by any computer. Only our secret lab in the cellar. I even made sure the internet is disconnected so boys could at least watch some movies. I was not going to risk coming out of the house even if Bobby was jumping all day long and pulling on my nerves shouting that he wants to go to the beach. Eventually I remembered that Pepper was about to come home today, only to find it deserted. I spent the rest of our first day in hiding by teleporting home and back to Danny’s house, waiting for Pepper to show up. When she finally did it was almost dinner time.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey. I thought you are not coming back. I spent half of the damn day waiting for you,” I told her. “Did he call you?”

“Yeah, but I can’t say I understood a single word. What’s wrong this time?” She looked around. “Where are the boys?”

“Everything is wrong. He managed to create a robot who wants to kill off every single human on the planet.” I grimaced. “And boys are alright, they are safe.”

“You are kidding,” she laughed.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” I asked her with a serious expression.

“You are not kidding,” her jaw dropped and then she sighed. “Oh god.” She seated herself on the sofa, head in hands.

“Come on, we have to go. We can’t stay here. Dad’s orders.” I took her hand and helped her on her feet. “Go pack what you need, we’d better get outta here fast.” She nodded and left.

When we teleported to Danny’s house Jay was crying and Bobby was running around looking for me. The moment he saw us he threw himself at me, almost knocking me off my feet. Then he spotted Pepper standing next to me, looking a little shaken from the teleportation, and hugged her too.

“Danny’s place?” she asked, running her hand through Bobby’s curls.

“Yep. I thought it might be safe down here,” I explained.

“Are you alright with it?” she asked, worried.

“Actually, I was here four days ago. So I guess,” I looked at the framed pictures over the fireplace, “I’m good. As much as one can be in my situation. I think I’ll never be OK with anything concerning Danny, but at least I can keep my calm. For now.” I gave her a small smile.

“OK, but if anything bugs you, talk to me.” She smiled and patted my shoulder. “Now we should clean up the house if we are going to stay here.”

“The whole house?!” I gave her a shocked stare.

“No, but at least the rooms we’ll be using. It’s a lot of work, we should get started.” She scooped Jay up in her arms and left to the kitchen.

I hate cleaning up.That’s what we have a cleaning lady for. I’ve never done it much, well except for my own room because I didn’t like the idea of some stranger going through my stuff. _‘But now it seems like I don’t have a choice.’_ I groaned and followed Pepper.

 ***

No television, no internet connection, no phone and no newspaper can drive a person nuts. Mainly when you want to know what is going on with the world. Is it going to end? Or is it already saved and we are sitting here for nothing? That’s why I lost my nerves on the third day of hiding and teleported back home. I took a cool juice from the fridge, poured it in a glass and sat on the couch in the living room.

“Jarvis?”

Nothing. I picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. I didn’t have to search long for some news. It was on every channel.

“Oh my god.” I almost choked at seeing a footage of the Hulk destroying a city in the South Africa. It happened yesterday. Then I saw dad’s Hulkbuster. _‘Oh no, he had to activate VERONICA. But why is doctor Banner so out of control? Or was. Whatever. I hope they are alright now.’_ If I thought I’ll find out where they are now, I was wrong.

“Shit,” I sighed and finished the juice. Then I looked around, listening to my intuition. _‘Hm. I think they are safe. And I think that hiding away is useless. If Ultron was coming after us, he would show himself by now.’_ And with that I teleported to Danny’s house and took Pepper and boys back home.

_‘I hope I’m not wrong.’_

 ***

The rest of the week passed like nothing. I decided to attend my classes at the university and Pepper went back to office leaving boys with their nanny. These institutions won’t give you a day off even when the world might end.

Ultron might not be after me but paparazzi definitely were. I had to dodge them at almost every corner. _‘Like I would know anything about the Avengers’ whereabouts or their plan for saving the world.’_

On Friday afternoon I had enough of it. The heightened attention from other students and professors didn’t help at all. That was the moment I wished Ultron would come for me so I could kick his metal ass. I was so pissed at everything that when I had the lecture with that arrogant professor again I almost turned at the door leading to the auditorium, and walked away. Not so lucky, though. Sara grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. _‘Maybe if I slide down on the chair he won’t notice me.’_ Definitely not so lucky. He spotted me right away and I gave him the don’t-even-start-with-your-bullshit stare. He didn’t say anything. He was ignoring me the whole time.

This time we at least knew what was going on thanks to the television. Something was up in Seoul where they were chasing after that metal psychopath and his robots. We didn’t catch it live though, but a day later. I hoped Dr. Cho was OK. She was one of my tutors and I spent a year working with her in Seoul as part of my internship.

Then we stared at the screen in shock when they showed a jet landing at the Avengers tower. They were back in the city.

“Where are you going?” asked Pepper when I sped out of the room.

“Where do you think? I can’t just sit at my butt knowing nothing!” I told her and teleported away.

It was quiet. Too quiet. I walked through the labs, carefully stepping over the shattered glass on the floor. There was a cradle I recognized from Dr. Cho’s lab. It was broken. _‘What the hell happened here?’_

“Dad?”

“Nat?”

“Agent Hill?”

“Anyone?” But no one answered. They were gone. Again. I cursed under my breath and returned home.

“So? What have you found?” asked Pepper with curiosity.

“Nothing. Just a mess,” I mumbled and went to my bedroom. I didn’t stay there for long though, because Pepper was calling for me.

“What?” I stood next to her in the living room. She just motioned to the screen.

My jaw dropped. There was a flying city and what looked like an army of robots. I blinked few times, not sure if I see well.

“What the hell?” I got from myself.

“It’s not looking good, Emery,” Pepper whispered, fear in her voice. “I don’t know how they are going to win this.”

I cleared my throat. “They are going to win. They always do.” _‘Who am I trying to persuade. Myself or her?’_

“Is that what your intuition is saying?” she asked with hope.

“I don’t know. I just know that they always come up with something. Dad will come up with something. He has to.” I sat down next to her. “Where are the boys?”

“Sleeping.”

“Good. And where is that actually?” I pointed my finger towards the screen.

“Eastern Europe. Sokovia or something like that.”

I froze. _‘Sokovia? What the hell is Ultron doing in Sokovia? Has it something to do with Strucker?’_ Just a single thought of that bastard set my mind on fire. I stood up and started walking from side to side like a lion in a cage.

“What are you doing Em?” asked Pepper with raised eyebrows.

“Trying to calm down. You know what? I should be there,” I raised my voice.

“Are you out of your mind? It’s dangerous! Don’t even think about it.”

“What if something happens? What if someone gets hurt? Or killed?” I crouched on the ground hugging myself.

“OK, now you sound like me. Look,” she pointed at the TV again, “I am sure there are many hurt people, even dead people, but there is nothing you can do!”

“Not from here. But if I was there I could heal them!” I shouted.

“And kill yourself in the process? For how many people would your energy be sufficient, huh? Ten? Twenty if they would have only minor wounds?” She kneeled next to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Look, the city is flying and I think it won’t be flying forever. If they won’t find out how to gently put it back down, everyone, every one of them is going to die! I could maybe…maybe…”

“What? Teleport the whole city on the ground? You have a problem teleporting four other people. Hey, look at me,” she took my chin and raised my head. “You are not an Avenger, Emery. You are just a girl, a scientist, a future doctor.”

“You forgot to add ‘broken’ before the ‘girl’.” And with that I stood up and slowly walked away. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be with Bobby if you need something.”

 ***

It was six in the morning when a ringing woke me up. Bobby grumbled something from his sleep and turned on the other side. I tried to reach the phone and fell from the bed.

“Damn it,” I cursed. When I finally looked at the screen I was confused. It was Nat.

“Hey Nat,” I said with sleepy voice. “Is Earth on fire after all when you’re calling me so soon on the Sunday morning?”

“Well, no. But this is indeed an emergency call,” she said with seriousness.

“Huh? I feel like my brain is still sleeping. You have to be more…”

“I’m activating the H.R. Protocol.” That caught me off guard. “Are you up for it?”

“Yeah?” I said not being totally sure.

“OK. Meet us in the Avengers tower in an hour.” And just like that she cancelled the call.

I sat on the floor looking at Bobby’s sleeping figure still trying to understand what have just happened. Then I realized I can’t teleport there to spare my energy and if I want to drive there _… ‘I’m already late. Great.’_ I sprung to my feet, kissed Bobby’s cheek and run out of the door. _‘I hope I’m not seeing him for the last time.’_ I grabbed an apple in the kitchen along with the car keys and went into the garage.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry guys that I'm posting this two days later than I usually do but I was abroad. Don't worry next chapter will be posted next Wednesday. So enjoy the new chapter!

**Wanda**

I was sitting on the metal floor of the helicarrier, not caring if it’s cold or not. I didn’t feel the cold. I didn’t feel anything. Not even the gaping hole in my chest where my heart has once been. I was broken, I was empty. I’ve never cried so much in my life. I didn’t even know that it’s possible, that my eyes can still produce new tears. At least the sobs stopped. Now I was just swinging forward and back clenching Pietro’s dead body. I tried to reach for his mind from time to time as I used to, but was met with nothing. Blackness. I burrowed my face into his neck ignoring everyone and everything around me. They tried to take him from me once or twice, but I wasn’t letting them to do it. Captain America and that archer Hawkeye were sitting with me and Pietro for some time. They were nice to me. They tried to calm me down, to explain that he’s gone, that I have to let him go. I can’t. Then they left me alone with him.

Vision is now standing nearby. Watching over me thinking I don’t see him. But I do. I pull myself from Pietro and run my fingers through his silver hair. He looks so peaceful. Like he is just sleeping. But he’s not. He is somewhere I can’t follow him. Not now.

I wanted to die. When he died I went to search for Ultron. I knew I wasn’t going to make it in time to the ships. I didn’t care. I just wanted that bastard to feel the pain I did. He even had the guts to look like he cared for me. I was so stupid. Maybe if we didn’t choose his side, if we would leave, Pietro would be still alive. But it was late for that kind of thoughts. I ripped his metal heart out and then the city started to break apart. Stark reversed the reaction. I didn’t care if I died. I wasn’t even scared. I wanted my brother back. But then Vision came and saved me. I was angry with him, he should’ve let me die. But now I know that my brother wouldn’t want me to die. Not because he’s gone. Not without a fight. _‘The rest of my life without you will be a fight,’_ I thought.

Then I heard someone arguing. Well, more like felt it at first, heard afterwards. I looked up and saw them standing in the hallway. They caught even Vision’s attention.

“No! Are you out of your fucking mind, Romanoff?” Stark shouted.

“Look, they helped us. I think that this is the last thing they wanted to happen. We should do what we can for them,” Natasha told him in a stern voice.

“No. There’s no way. It’s too risky and you know it!” He turned his back on her.

“Tony,” a black-haired woman said, agent Hill as I recalled, and put her hand on his shoulder.

“No.”

“I know what she would say. It’s her decision, not yours. And besides, I thought you would understand. I know you wouldn’t have turned down this kind of offer about year and half ago,” Hill spoke.

“The kid saved Barton’s life. We should use everything at our disposal to save him,” uttered a tall Afro-American with a patch across his eye. Fury.

That got my full attention. And not just mine. Captain America, Hawkeye and Thor joined their small gathering. I gently put Pietro on the ground and walked towards them.

“Are you saying there’s a way to bring my brother back?” I asked unable to believe it.

“Yes. There might be.” Natasha smiled at me. A hope rose in my chest.

“No. There’s not. I’m not letting you do this!” Tony hissed at Nat.

“So, is there a way to bring the kid back or not?” Hawkeye asked. “Because I’m confused. If there is a way we have to at least try it. He saved my damn life!”

“There is and we are going to do it,” Hill said, eyes fixed on Stark. _‘What is his problem?’_

“Romanoff, activate the H.R. Protocol,” Fury decided. “You know it the best, you’ve been working on it for some time now.”

“But it was never done on a human. Do you know how much energy that will take? Or even if it will work out?” Tony screamed.

“If we won’t try it, we won’t know.” And with that Fury left. He did well by leaving, Stark looked like he’s going to kill him. Obviously, he thinks my brother is not worth saving. I will prove him wrong.

“Alright, everybody. We need to freeze Pietro’s body. And prepare a jet, we’ll be leaving in an hour,” Natasha ordered and everyone left. Except for me, Vision and Hawkeye. We helped her put Pietro in a large tube and then I watched as the temperature was going lower on the screen.

“Don’t worry. It’s a special tube. It won’t damage his tissues. We used it many times on people who were still alive to slow the bleeding and other damages,” Nat stated and patted me on the shoulder.

“You think it will work?” I asked, putting my hand on the tube.

“I don’t know. He’s been dead for a long time. But we are still in the six hour window.” Nat frowned.

“Six hour window?” I was confused.

“Yes. The time span in which we were able to bring the dead back to life. Although, as Stark said, we never tried it on a human before. It’s too risky,” she sighed.

“I don’t understand,” I scowled.

“The doctor who will perform it can, well, die. The technique is not safe. It’s complicated. You’ll see.”

“Die? That’s why Stark doesn’t want to activate the protocol?” I was shocked.

Natasha nodded.

“But I…I can’t want that from you. I can’t let anyone risk their life for my brother. I know he wouldn’t want it too.”

“The good thing is the doctor won’t stay dead for long. Hopefully. And it’s not your decision, or mine, or Stark’s. It’s the decision of the one who will perform the resurrection,” Nat informed me.

“OK. But I still don’t like it. I want him back but…this is different,” I muttered.

“I understand. But this protocol wasn’t created just like that. Everyone is informed about the risks and agreed to go with it should the protocol be activated,” she clarified.

“Stark doesn’t agree.”

“He’s not part of the protocol.” She smiled. “Now help me get the tube into the jet.”

Hawkeye and Vision, who were carefully listening to our conversation, started to push the tube into one of the jets. But there was still one question I needed an answer for.

“What does H.R. stand for?”

“Healing and resurrection,” Nat said and walked into the jet.

After an hour everyone was aboard the jet. Even Stark who still had that look on his face like he was going to seriously hurt someone. He was still clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes flicking between the tube, me and the wall. Nat took out a cell phone and was about to dial a number when Stark took it from her.

“It’s three in the morning in America for Christ’s sake. We will be there at seven. There’s no rush. You don’t have to wake her up. She’ll need every minute of the sleep if she’s going to do this.”

“Alright,” she said and shrugged.

I don’t know how but I fell asleep, my head lying on the tube. I could see the morning light coloring the thin clouds through the window. I looked at Pietro’s face, wanting to push the strands of his hair away from his eyes. His beautiful sky-blue eyes. _‘I wish I could see them again, full of life.’_ Then a low murmur distracted me. Natasha had a phone at her ear and was speaking to someone.

“I’m activating the H.R. Protocol. Are you up for it?”

There was a pause. I stopped breathing. I knew that whoever was on the other side of the line was about to decide my brother’s fate.

“OK. Meet us at the Avengers tower in an hour.” She cancelled the call and looked at me. She gave me a nod and smiled.

** Emery **

I knew they were in the tower already long before I came there. They said it on the radio. I tried to go faster but the traffic was terrible even this soon in the morning. _‘Soon for me,’_ I thought. My brain was still thinking what part of the H.R. Protocol I’m about to perform. _‘I hope it’s just the healing part. I don’t feel like…bringing someone back from the dead. But with my luck it will be both.’_

In fifteen minutes I pulled my car in the parking lot in the underground garage of the tower. I jumped out of it and ran to the elevator. When the doors of it opened I walked inside and selected the story I wanted to go to.

“Jarvis?” I tried to call for him but still no answer.

I was pacing like a madman the whole way up. The thoughts I tried to push away flooded my mind. _‘Why didn’t dad call me? Why only Nat? What if he’s hurt or something worse! What if I was called because he is the one who needs my help? OK, Emery you have to calm down.’_ The elevator reached the story and the moment the doors opened I sped out of it. As I was running along a glass wall I caught my reflection. I looked like I just woke up, in black leggings, long white tank top and pink pullover. Hair pulled up in the bun, messy as always.I shrugged and continued my search for them.

When I’ve finally reached them I was almost out of breath. I’m not used to running.Seven pairs of eyes looked my way and I froze. _‘This is it. You finally met all of them. They now know about you. There is no coming back.’_ But I was interested only in one brown pair of eyes. When I saw him it was like a boulder lifted from my chest. I ran into him and hugged him as strong as I could muster.

“I’m sorry for what I said before. I didn’t mean…no, I meant it, but I shouldn’t have said it. I’m just so glad you are OK, dad,” I mumbled into his neck. I had to look ‘very’ professionally but I didn’t care at that moment.

“It’s OK, sweetheart,” he said, smiling and hugging me back. Then I let him go and looked around.

“Whoa, wait a second! Did she say ‘dad’?” Barton asked with a shocked expression. “Wow. You blamed me for not telling you about my family and you have a daughter we don’t know about?”

Then I saw Nat standing aside close to the tube where my patient probably was and went to hug her.

“Hey, you,” I told her with a smile, hugging her.

“Hey, Em.” She smiled.

“Well, at least not all of us knew about her. Did you know about her, Cap?” Barton continued in his rambling. Steve just shook his head.

“Did you?” He looked at others. Everyone shook their heads except for dad and Nat. “So why is it that only you know about her, Nat?”

“Because I worked undercover as Stark’s assistant one time. Four or five years ago? And because she is a part of the H.R. Protocol. She actually created that protocol. She is a part of the Avengers Scientist Division,” she explained.

“Wait, she’s the doctor?” Barton asked and Nat nodded. “She’s just a kid!”

“I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-three,” I mumbled.

“You look younger. And besides twenty-three year old still classifies as a kid,” he stated and crossed his arms.

“Whatever. Where’s my…,” I was going to say ‘patient’ when my eyes set on someone strange and my jaw dropped. “What the hell?”

“Hello, Miss Stark, I’m Vision,” the weird person said and offered me his hand. Not that I would like shaking someone’s hand but I was curious.  

“You sound like Jarvis! Why does he sound like Jarvis?” _‘And why can I read his mind? And why is his ‘skin’ soft? And why does he have emotions?’_

“We figured out Jarvis’s metrics and upload him in…that body,” dad was explaining.

My science part of the brain was going crazy with questions and theories and tests I would like to do but then I remembered the real reason I was here. I tore my gaze from Vision and walked towards the tube. I looked inside and there was a very handsome silver haired guy in a blue-and-grey running top covered in bullet holes. I gasped.

“He’s…,” I whispered looking at the rest of them over my shoulder. I didn’t even finish the sentence and dad was already rolling his eyes.

“Handsome, yeah we know,” he said.

“…dead,” I finished and gave him the ‘really-dad?’ stare. _‘But yeah he’s also veeery handsome.’_ “So I guess this is both resurrection and healing, huh?” I sat on the chair, head in my hands. Dad was at my side in a second.

“Hey, you don’t have to do this, Emery,” he pleaded.

“I know,” I sighed and looked at the tube. There was a girl with long brown hair and sad eyes standing next to it. One hand securely laid on the tube. “Who is he, anyway?” I cleared my throat.

“He’s…” dad started but I cut him off.

“Someone objective please,” I gave him a sad smile.

“He saved my life,” Barton told me sadly.

“He’s one of the two enhanced we found in…” Cap started but didn’t have time to finish.

“Sokovia?” My head shot up. “The two who volunteered for Strucker’s experiments?”

“How do you...? Stark?” Steve looked at dad in disbelief.

“What? I don’t keep secrets from her. Not that it would be possible,” he threw his arms in a resigned gesture. I gave him a stare. “OK, maybe I have some secrets from time to time but they are never secret for long.”

“Please continue.” I looked at Steve.

“As I was saying, they are from Sokovia and after the Ultron was created they joined him in his plans.”

“But we didn’t know he’s going to cause global extinction! We just thought he’s going after you. After the Avengers,” the girl spoke up.

“Nice. You just wanted to kill us. That is very kind of you,” dad grimaced. I shushed him.

“I’m sorry. We were wrong. I can see it now. But we had our reasons.” She put the other hand on the tube too, and looked at me with tears in her blue eyes. “Please, I know I can’t want this from you. Mainly if it’s as dangerous as Natasha said, but I can’t lose him. I can’t live without him, he’s everything I have left,” she whispered, a single tear running down her cheek.

I could feel her pain. That was the worst part of having enhanced empathy. I was drowning not only in my own pain but also in a pain and sadness of other people. And hers was fresh. She just lost someone she loved. Even without her feelings I would know exactly how it feels to lose someone close.

“Please, save my brother,” she pleaded.

That got me. “He’s…he’s your brother?” I said feeling something breaking inside of me. Again.

“Yes. We are twins.”

_‘Fuck. I’m done. I have to do it. I can’t let her go through that well-known pain and emptiness. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. And they are twins it must be even harder for her. They had to have a connection. Well, I had that connection with Danny too and he was six years older.’_

“OK. I’ll do it. I need him in my lab, now,” I said sternly pushing the tears from my eyes. “How long has he been dead?”

“Ten hours maybe? But we froze him while still in the six hour window,” Nat informed me on the way to my lab.

“Good, that’s good.” I turned on my doctor mode. When we arrived there, I pushed some stuff out of the way so there would be more space for all of us.

“What’s your name?” I asked the girl who looked nervous and lost.

“Wanda. And my brother’s Pietro.”

“Alright, Wanda. Do you want me to comment on what I’ll be doing?” I simply asked while setting the temperature on the screen of the tube.

“Yes, please.” She smiled.

“Fine. First I have to tell you that I don’t know if it will work. I’ve never done it on a human before. Well, at least I’ve never tried to bring someone from the dead. I healed wounds but that was it. What I’m going to do now I only practiced on animals – rats, birds, even dogs and a chimpanzee. That was the closest thing to a human. It worked but…it had some…side effects,” I clarified.

“Side effects?”

“Yeah. You know, the brain is very complicated. To restore brain cells to its former state is probably the biggest challenge of this whole process. The chimp wasn’t the same as before. He had some anger issues. That’s when I said I won’t do it on a human. Only if there will be a serious reason to do it. I don’t know how ethic it is to bring someone from the dead. But then I figured some things out and I realized that the side effect was my mistake. I didn’t restore all brain cells. And besides I ran out of the energy too soon and didn’t finish the whole process. It’s very complicated and I hope I’ll get it right this time,” I explained and put my hand on her shoulder. “Now I set a higher temperature in the tube. I need his body to reach the temperature of a living person.”

She nodded and looked at her brother. I followed her gaze. If I didn’t feel he was dead, I would say he was just sleeping. I took a water bottle standing on the table and took a sip from it. Then another and then I drank it whole.

“I hope it was just water,” Steve said and Thor laughed.

“Unfortunately, yes. I could use something stronger, though,” I chuckled. All of those heroes huddled in my lab were making me nervous. I’ve never had that big audience while doing this.

A beeping sound caught our attention. The temperature reached the set point.

“No offence guys, but I need you to go. You are making me nervous even more that this whole situation. Besides, it will be safer for you out of here. Something can go wrong,” I warned them.

“I’m not going anywhere,” dad said stubbornly.

“I’ll stay with my brother,” Wanda decided.

“OK, then the rest of you out!” I ordered. They looked at the tube one more time and left the lab. I could still feel them staring at me through the glass door but I ignored them. It was just me, dad, Wanda and Nat.

And Pietro’s body. I opened the tube and looked closely at him. _‘Oh boy, you look like somebody used you as a woo-doo doll.’_ I took the scissors and cut his running top open. _‘Damn. He’s really hot. Shit! Emery concentrate!’_ I kicked myself mentally and tried to hide the blush. I cleared my throat and looked sideways.

“Well, I need…I need to move him on that bed and scan, um, his body for the bullets,” I stated. We managed to put him on the hospital bed and then I turned to the computer. “Please, step away from him now.”

The scanner turned on and in a while I had a 3D hologram to look at.

“Yay! Good news. I don’t have to play hide-and-seek with the bullets!” _‘That was very professional Emery, very professional indeed,’_ I told myself inwardly. _‘Why do I have to babble every time I’m nervous?’_

Everyone was looking at me in expectation. My hands started to shake and I took a deep breath.

“Fine. Stage one. Resurrection,” I commented, my eyes landing on Pietro’s face. But what they saw wasn’t his face. It was someone else’s. _‘Danny!’_ I sucked the air and stepped back as if I got burnt. I blinked but he was still there, lying on the bed, eyes opened but unmoving, trickle of blood running from his nose and ears. The voices around me got muted and I stood there transfixed staring at his dead body. Suddenly his head turned and his empty stare landed on me.

“You could have saved me Emery. But you were not strong enough. You aren’t strong enough,” his deadly voice resonated in the quiet room.

“I’m sorry,” I gulped. “I’m so sorry.” And then someone shook me and I was back in reality, dad’s scared face just inches from me, Wanda standing protectively before Pietro’s body and Natasha aiming an I.C.E.R. at my chest.

“Emery, look at me!” dad called. I looked around at the mess around us and my knees buckled. I fell to the ground and shivered.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what happened,” I whispered.

“Romanoff, put the gun down,” I heard dad say.

“I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough,” I mumbled.

“Who told you that bullshit? You are as strong as you feel. Don’t underestimate yourself and stand up!” he ordered and pulled me up. “It’s risky and everyone knows I’m against it but if someone can do this,” he motioned at Pietro, “it’s you!” He nudged me in the chest to emphasize his words.

“She has powers?” Wanda asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Nat answered. “You good?” She turned to face me. I nodded.

“I’m sorry I got…lost,” I told them gaining my composure. “It won’t happen again.”

I stepped to Pietro and looked at Wanda for approval. She nodded and went to stand on the other side of the bed.

“Dad, I need you to catch me if I fall down. But right now please step aside. I’m going to resuscitate him.”

I stretched my arms and wiggled my shoulders. A little stretching can’t hurt. Then I placed my hands over his chest the way the defibrillator is used, closed my eyes and concentrated my healing power in my palms. When I felt the raising energy I opened my eyes and looked at the green static bolts traveling along my fingers and palm, slightly covered in a green flare escaping from my hands.

“Alright. On three.” I looked at Wanda’s and dad’s shocked faces. They’ve never seen anything like this before.

“One.” Breathe in. “Two.” Breathe out. “Three.” I breathed in again and pressed my palms on Pietro’s chest. It heaved upwards, my hands basically sticking to his skin and my energy flowing inside his body in waves of static bolts. I gasped and took my hands away not being able to hold the connection any longer. I looked at the monitors but he was still flat-lining. I felt like my legs are going to give out but put on a brave face.

“Are you OK?” dad asked, worry in his tone.

“Yeah. Again on three,” I said stubbornly. Wanda was biting on her fingernails in anticipation.

I repeated the whole process again and again. After the third time I finally heard the stable beeping sound of the heart rate. It sounded like heaven. My legs gave out this time and I fell to the ground, feeling dizzy. Dad was at my side and running his hand across my back.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asked again. I just nodded, not having the strength to answer him. I tried to push myself off the ground but failed. Dad helped me and seated me on Pietro’s bed. I looked over at Wanda. She was holding his hand and whispering something to him with a smile on her face.

I was halfway through the whole process and already running out of energy. Yet there was so much I had to do so it would work out. I could feel Wanda’s hope and that kept me going. _‘I am strong. I can do this.’_

“You know, the hardest part for me comes now. I have to be very precise. Heal up every cell in his body and not miss a single neural cell,” I told her. She met my eyes. I needed to tell her. “I’m a telepath, Wanda.” She didn’t expect that. “Not like you. I need a direct contact to read someone’s mind. I can change the memories or delete them. I can control someone’s mind. I guess it will help me while restoring his brain cells. The thing is, I’ll go through his memories and I might get lost there. Mainly in his memories of the Strucker’s experimentation. It can evoke my own memories and I can lose it again as before,” I motioned at the shattered glass on the floor. But I can’t stop healing him. And at the same time I won’t be able to control whichever power I’ll unleash.”

She nodded and looked at Pietro’s chest, which was now rising up and down.

“Any other powers I should know about?”

“Yes, but not so important right now. Don’t worry, he’ll be safe. Just everything else in the room might fly.” I smiled at her.

“Nat, please don’t shoot me, I can’t lose the connection with him while healing. Actually it would be better if you would leave. All of you. I don’t want to hurt you if I lose it.” I turned to Nat and dad. She shrugged and moved towards the door. Dad remained standing next to me. “I mean it. Go away, I’ll be alright. Just don’t pull me from him even if I will be running out of energy.” He gave me a disapproving look but turned around and walked out of the lab followed by a worried Wanda.

“OK. So, it’s just you and me now. Don’t fail me or your sister. You made it this far,” I whispered to him brushing his hair away from his forehead. Then I tried to shift him to the side of the bed so I would have more space if I won’t be able to keep myself upright. When I was ready I placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his chest. It wasn’t very comfortable to sit in this kind of angle but it had to do. Then I released my healing energy and connected to his cells so they would help me heal him faster. After a while my head started to fall down and I felt completely drained. That’s when I finally saw something in his mind. Two little kids laughing and playing in the snow. The memory left as fast as it came. Then I felt fear. Two kids huddled under the bed, a bomb laying just mere inches from them and a huge hole in the ground in the other room. I gasped. Then came the memories of the experimentation. White-hot pain going through my body. Or his, I couldn’t tell anymore. His calls for Wanda and begging Strucker to stop. The rest of his memories came, pulling me deeper and deeper until I had a feeling I would choke under their weight. I wanted to scream but I couldn’t hear my voice. I was torn from the reality and became an observer in his memories. It felt like I was torn from my own body. _‘I don’t know what is happening anymore. Am I still healing him? Or am I unconscious? Did I run out of energy sooner than expected? Did I fail?’_ I went through his memories trying to find some peace and quiet. But it seemed like he’s never experienced peace and quiet. Joining uprisings, fighting on the streets, trying to run away from memories and watching over his sister. Their parents nowhere to be found. At last I came back to the memory of the kids cheering in the snow. I sat down and watched them for a while not knowing what else to do. I was stuck there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my dear readers, another chapter comes.....now. I had fun writing this chapter so I hope you enjoy it too. Also feel free to leave a comment. It will make me very happy.

The kids were building a snowman now. Its proportions looked asymmetric but they looked like they didn’t care. After a while the boy started a snow fight and snowballs were flying everywhere. I smiled and continued in my observation, evading random snowballs.

 _“Who are you?”_ I heard a voice with a strong Russian accent behind me. Startled, I sprung up to my feet, ready to attack the intruder. But it was just him. Pietro. Not the kid playing in the snow with his sister but Mr. Handsome whose life I wanted to save. He was wearing the same sportswear but the bullet holes were missing.

 _“I’m Emery,”_ I told him.

 _“What are you doing here?”_ he asked and came closer.

 _“I…I guess I saved your life.”_ I looked around.

_“Saved my life?”_

_“You were dead. I brought you back,”_ I clarified.

 _“Dead?”_ he asked, confused.

 _“You don’t remember? I’ll show you.”_ I turned and started to walk away, reaching for his memory of saving Barton’s life.

We were standing sideways having a good view of the scene before us. The other Pietro making a decision that will cost his life and then running in the gunfire to save the child and Barton.

 _‘Wow, you are really fast,”_ I said, impressed.

 _“Not fast enough,”_ he uttered looking as the other one was falling to the ground his chest pierced with bullet holes. _“I do remember know.”_

I looked at him, standing close to me, and caught his sad expression.

 _“Hey, I’m sure you’ll be okay. You are here, talking to me so I guess that’s good.”_ I gave him a warm smile.

 _“Is my sister alright?”_ He kicked into a fallen brick and moved away from the scene.

_“Yes, she is.”_

He was quiet for some time walking from memory to memory, dodging the bad ones on purpose. I followed him like a shadow, giving him his time to process everything. Coming back from dead can’t be easy on someone’s mind.

 _“You know you still didn’t answer my question.”_ He turned suddenly with a grin on his face.

_“What question?”_

_“What are you doing ‘here’?”_ He motioned around with his hands. _“What are you doing in my head? In my memories.”_

 _“As I said, I saved your life. I healed you and I had to heal every single brain cell so there won’t be side effects,”_ I explained. _“And I’m a telepath.”_

 _“You think you can bring someone from the dead without side effects? I think that’s not possible.”_ He seated himself on an old bench, probably somewhere in Sokovia. He tapped the spot next to him looking right into my eyes. That was when I realized how bright blue his eyes really were.

 _“Well, let’s just say I hope there won’t be any side effects,”_ I smiled, sitting next to him.

 _“You know, my sister is a telepath too,”_ he said proudly.

_“Yeah I know. But I’m not the kind of telepath she is. My power is strong but limited by direct contact.”_

_“Direct contact? Like a touch?”_

_“Yep. Skin to skin.”_ I wiggled my fingers before his face and chuckled.

 _“Hmm, interesting. So what you are saying is that you were touching me while you were healing me and that’s also why you are in my head right now?”_ He leaned into the backrest with a teasing grin plastered across his face.

I blushed and looked away. _“Uh, yeah…..how else would I be able to heal you without touching you, huh?”_

 _“Nice. You know you can touch me again if you want, I don’t mind,”_ he snickered and moved closer to me. I froze looking straight before me, feeling the heat in my cheeks and trying to focus on something else.

There was a fallen building before us.

 _“Where are we?”_ I asked, standing up. He didn’t answer so I looked at him. He had his eyes fixed on something on the higher story of the building and I could feel his anger rising. I walked towards the building, following my curiosity and changed the memory on a different one. The same building, the rubble and two scared kids under the bed.

 _“Why have you brought me here?”_ he growled behind me.

 _“I don’t know. You tell me.”_ He didn’t. He was staring at the bomb in the middle of the room. I came closer to it and gasped. ‘STARK INDUSTRIES’. Now everything clicked together. Why they volunteered for experiments. Why the wanted to destroy the Avengers. Why they chose Ultron’s side.

 _“You know you can’t blame the man who built the bomb. It’s ridiculous,”_ I turned to face him.

 _“I can.”_ He crouched down and took a small doll in his hand.

_“It’s like blaming the one who constructed a gun instead of the one who pulled the trigger. It’s not logical, Pietro. The fact that his bomb was used to destroy your house doesn’t make him guilty. The men who threw the bomb here, they are guilty.”_

_“They were right there,”_ he motioned towards the hole in the floor ignoring my words. _“We were having dinner when the first bombs fell. Our parents. One minute sitting at the table, the other disappearing through the hole. I grabbed Wanda and we hid under the bed. Then this bomb fell,”_ he said and kicked into the bomb. It didn’t move. _“We spent two days waiting for it to go off. Two damn days!”_

 _“Hey,”_ I walked to him and put my hand on his shoulder. _“I…I understand your pain. But you can’t live in the past. You have to move on.”_

 _“You don’t understand anything! Look at you! You look like someone who has everything. You are working for the Avengers.”_ He grabbed my shoulders and I could see unshed tears in his eyes. _“You don’t know the real pain and living with it every day of your life when your country is slowly falling apart because of foreign armies sticking their nose into our business. Uprisings, civil wars and pointless bombings!”_

 _“You are right, I don’t. But I understand the pain of the loss of someone close. And you don’t know anything about my life so shut up,”_ I told him quietly and released my shoulders from his grasp. I walked away, choosing a random memory.

An alley next to the pub. Pietro hungrily kissing some girl. She was madly giggling and moaning. I turned around, disgusted, and chose another memory. Small apartment, dim light, half naked Pietro and a different girl. _‘Great.’_

 _“You can’t do this you know. Have you ever heard of privacy?”_ he asked, standing next to me with crossed arms and that irritating grin on his face.

 _“Jeez, you change moods faster than girls, obviously.”_ I rolled my eyes and tried to walk away. The only problem was him standing in my way. _“It’s not like I want to be here. And get out of my way!”_

 _“Whoa, Rapunzel got angry,”_ he laughed but didn’t move. _“Then again, why are you here?”_

 _“Because I have nowhere to go! I’m stuck in here! I hope that not forever because I would rather kill myself then live the rest of my life in your head,”_ I grumbled and stuck my tongue out. He laughed.

 _“Ouch. That was very mature. What are you, six? You look like a tiny little princess who lost her diadem and now is grumpy at everyone. Throwing a fit and kicking around, screaming,”_ he mimicked everything he said with a smirk.

I slapped him across the face as hard as I could. He didn’t see that coming.

 _“See this is what I’m talking about,”_ he regained his composure faster than I expected and that stupid grin too.

_“How can you be so…so…?”_

_“Handsome? Hot? Good-looking? Witty?”_  He was grinning like crazy, obviously satisfied with himself.

 _“Arrogant! Irritating! Moron!”_ I shouted at him. If only he wasn’t still so close.

 _“Moron is not an adjective. I’m Sokovian and I know it better than you.”_ He laughed.

 _“You know what? Fuck you, Pietro!”_ I pushed him out of my way.

 _“You can. It would be a very interesting experience. What are we? Ghosts?”_ He slapped my butt. I growled and slapped his hand. _“Nope not ghosts. I don’t know what we are.”_

 _“Oh good Lord, keep me from killing him!”_ I prayed.

_“Why did you bring me back from dead when you can’t stand me?”_

_“Because of you sister. I didn’t do it for you. She doesn’t deserve to go through the pain I did,”_ I told him.

_“What pain?”_

_“Why should I tell you?”_ I frowned.

 _“Hmm. You are in ‘my’ head. Going through ‘my’ memories. Invading ‘my’ privacy. It’s not fair. I want something in return,”_ he said.

 _“Yeah? Forget it. I’m outta here,”_ I stated and tried to concentrate on my memories. I almost had it when he caught me from behind and I lost the train of thoughts.

 _“What are you doing?”_ I asked him, incredulous.

 _“Going for a trip to your memories. And it looks like it worked. This is definitely not mine memory,”_ he said, looked around and let go of me. Only then I realized where we were. It was indeed my memory.

There I was, sitting on the ground in the middle of what looked like an explosion site clenching someone’s body in my arms. Green mist clouded the air adding to the scary undertone with me looking like a queen of destruction. I was frozen in place but Pietro went forward to look at the scene closely. Anger and pain bubbled under my façade.

He crouched down next to the crying girl and looked at her and then back at me. We may have the same faces but that girl, that version of myself is no more. This very moment is the day when she died and only the empty broken shell was left after her. Then Pietro turned his eyes to the one she was holding. It was a man. Dark wavy hair matted together with dirt, blood and tears of the girl. Eyes closed in everlasting sleep. She was swinging from side to side, heavy sobs shaking her body and soft cries escaping her cracked lips. The dark circles under her eyes and hollow cheeks making her look so much older and her green eyes staring blankly before her. She was whispering a name over and over again.

I turned away, tears in my eyes. I couldn’t look at the scene anymore. I felt a hand on my shoulder and then I turned around. Pietro was looking at me, sadness and regret in his eyes. He embraced me and I let my tears fall. Then a noise disturbed us and we looked up searching for its source. I knew it sooner than I saw it. A man in a metal suit came from the sky holding a woman in his arms. She was also dead. He set her down and stepped out of the suit.

 _“Stark?”_ Pietro asked confused.

He walked to the girl, leaving the suit behind and gently hugged her. Tears were falling from his eyes too, when he whispered something into her ear. She shook her head and hugged the dead body even stronger. He sighed and stood up. Then a shot from the dark pierced our ears and the girl fell on the ground unconscious, the green mist disappearing. Pietro gasped.

The memory ended so I took us somewhere else. It was a beach in Malibu in a hot summer day. A blonde girl was sitting on the blanket, hair in a bun, and a book in her hand. Just enjoying the peace and quiet. She could be eighteen. Boys were eyeing her from afar but she ignored them. I moved and sat in the sand not so close to her. Pietro joined me right away.

 _“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”_ he started but didn’t finish. I just shrugged.

 _“Where are we?”_ he changed the subject.

 _“Malibu. I lived there most of my life,”_ I said matter-of-factly.

 _“Most of your life?”_ he asked, being curious.

_“Toronto, Malibu, New York. I’m twenty-three.”_

_“Oh. So many places. Why did you move away?”_  He decided to take off his running top and then stretched on the sand crossing his arms behind his head. I smiled. He looked so relaxed. So I took off the pullover too, staying in the tank top and lied down next to him.

 _“Shit happened,”_ I answered.

 _“That’s all you’re going to tell me?”_ He raised his eyebrows. I shrugged so he let it be.

 _“This is the first time I’m on the beach and seeing the sea,”_ he confessed.

 _“The first time?”_ I asked surprised and turned to my side to look at him.

 _“You know, not everyone lives at the seaside. But it feels good. I could get used to it,”_ he smiled and closed his eyes. I don’t know how long we were like that. Pietro with his eyes closed and me looking at him thinking that maybe he fell asleep. It was weird. Feeling this way after basically reliving the most painful memory in my life. But it was nice so I stopped thinking about it. I sighed and was about to lie down when Pietro wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I put my head on his chest and moved my hand there too, enjoying the fact that I can touch him and not read his mind because we are basically in our mind.

 _“Why are we still here?”_ he murmured.

 _“I thought you like it here,”_ I chuckled.

_“I do but it keeps me thinking. Did something go wrong when you were reviving me?”_

_“Hmm. No, but human brain is complicated and you were dead for ten hours so I guess it takes some time for everything to start working like it is supposed to. You might be in a coma. That’s my guess,”_ I told him.

_“But what about you? Why are you here? Are you in a coma too?”_

I listened to the humming in his chest caused by his voice. It was nice. Relaxing. I almost forgot to answer him.

_“Huh? Maybe, I mean I had to use a lot of energy to bring you back and heal you so yes, we are both in a coma.”_

_“But you said that you can invade someone’s mind only by touch,”_ he said.

_“Hmm, yes, and?”_

_“Then why are we still together here? Don’t you think they would take you away from my body after you fell unconscious?”_ He had a point.

 _“I told them not to. But only during the healing process. I guess that process ended long ago. So, yes, it’s weird,”_ I frowned, thinking about it.

 _“Not that I would mind. At least I’m not alone here,”_ he said and pulled me closer. I felt the heat creeping up my cheeks again. _“Do you think we’ll remember this, doc?”_

 _“Doc? I’m not a doctor. Not yet. And I don’t know. Some people remember the dreams they had during the coma and others don’t. It’s individual.”_ I closed my eyes. _“I hope I won’t remember it,”_ I whispered.

 _“Why? Am I that bad?”_ he laughed.

 _“You are a perfect example of a bad boy. New girl every day, high level of sassiness, arrogant stubborn personality and that cute irritating grin of yours. And I’m not even talking about those eyes. Just like the sea, one could get lost in them…Shit did I say it out loud?”_ I face-palmed.

He burst out laughing. _“Well, one good thing about this whole situation is that we obviously can’t lie to each other. Now I know why you don’t want to remember it.”_ He said with a smile and sat up pulling me up with him. I was hiding my face in my hands so he grabbed them and moved them away and raised my head so I would look at him.

_“But there’s where you are wrong. Those girls, that was long time ago.”_

_“Really? Because it didn’t seem that long ago,”_ I told him.

 _“I was someone else,”_ he whispered.

 _“What changed?”_ I whispered too.

 _“I died.”_ He looked like he was going to kiss me. And I found out that a big part of me wanted it to happen. We probably won’t remember it anyway, so, whatever. But then something different happened.

 _“Emery!”_ It was Danny, standing in the shallow water and smiling with joy. The blonde girl near us finally looked up from her book.

 _“Hey, handsome! What’s up?”_ she called and laughed.

 _“Come here. Finally put the bloody book down and have some fun!”_ he shouted while hugging a beautiful girl with long dark hair.

 _“I’m having fun!”_ she protested.

 _“Come on, Em, join us. We’ll play volleyball,”_ the dark-haired girl said.

_“OK, Mel. I’ll just finish the chapter.”_

But she didn’t have time to do it because Danny came to her, threw her over his shoulder and ran with her into the waves where they splashed water at each other, giggling like little kids.

I could feel Pietro’s gaze on me.

 _“That’s the…”_ he started but I cut him off.

_“Yep.”_

_“He is…”_

_“Was. My brother.”_ And with that I looked at him with sad eyes and he hugged me close again. Now he understood why I needed to do this. To bring him back for his sister.

_“Don’t do something stupid like dying again. Wanda needs you.”_

_“I’ll do what I can,”_ he said and kissed the top of my head. That’s when I heard it. A quiet beeping sound. It was getting louder.

 _“Do you hear it too?”_ Pietro asked. I nodded. _“What is it?”_

I turned my back to him searching for a source but didn’t see anything unusual. When I turned back he was gone. I stood up running from side to side searching for him like crazy but didn’t see him anywhere.

_“Pietro!”_

_“Don’t leave me alone!”_

But no answer came. I lost him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi dear readers, another week is gone. Jeez time is going so fast and the number of written chapters I have in store is dangerously decreasing. I'm working on the tenth chapter right now...but it's a bit hard. You know the typical struggles of a writer. But whatever, the important thing now is the new chapter so enjoy it! Also thanks for kudos guys and Japan_Crazy for comments. I really appreciate every single one. As always everyone, feel free to leave a comment.

** Wanda **

I was watching through the window as Emery was readying herself to start the healing process. I was so nervous that my powers almost slipped from my grasp but I took a deep breath and calmed myself. _‘It will work. It has to.’_

Em put her hands on Pietro’s body and then I could see a slight green glow coming from them, spreading gradually in my brother’s chest. It looked like his veins were glowing. I looked at the clock on the wall. Five minutes passed and I saw Emery’s head slowly falling down and then coming back up. _‘She won’t hold on for long.’_ I thought. Then I saw her twitch and heard her gasp. Something was happening. The glass flasks on the shelves started to shake and a lot of things fell on the floor. Then they raised into the air.

“No,” Emery said.

“Please, stop!” she called. The flasks started to shake even more.

Stark moved towards the door and was about to open them. I stood in his way.

“You can’t! You heard what she said! We have to let her finish it,” I told him. He knew I’m right. He paced like a madman and kicked into a trash can.

“Stop! Make it stop!” Emery continued screaming and some flasks cracked and shattered on the floor.

“Wanda!” she shouted.

“She’s in his memories,” I whispered more to myself than to the rest of them.

Then came a glass shattering scream and we all jumped and stepped back as the glass doors cracked but didn’t shatter. When we looked back inside the lab there was an even bigger mess on the floor than before. Like after a small explosion. I looked at Emery in panic and saw her lying lifeless on Pietro’s chest, her hand still pressed against his forehead. We burst into the lab not caring about the glass on the floor and went towards them. Stark wanted to take Emery away but I noticed a weak glow still coming from her hand and stopped him. He looked pissed off but I stood my ground.

“She’s just unconscious,” I reassured him.

I closely examined Pietro’s chest. At least the part that wasn’t hidden by Emery. The bullet holes were gone. His skin was completely healed.

“Vitals are looking steady,” Natasha commented with her eyes fixed on the monitors above the bed. “And brain activity is slowly rising.”

I let out a shaky breath and my lips formed a weak smile. I tried to connect to Pietro’s mind but was met with a protective wall of Emery’s mind. _‘She’s still in his head.’_

“The glow stopped,” Stark said and lifted Emery from Pietro. He carried her on to the neighboring bed and Natasha came to her side. She stuck some electrodes on her chest and turned the machines on. They revealed a weak but steady heartbeat. Then she took out two infusion sacks from the drawer and hanged them on the stand between the beds. She forced up the needle in Pietro’s and also Emery’s arm. I looked at her with questions in my eyes.

“We don’t know how long they will be like this. Either way they could use the infusion. I’m not a doctor, I know only so much. Dr. Cho is part of the protocol, too, but she’s wounded and in Seoul. So I guess we have to wait,” she explained and moved away.

I tried to connect to Pietro’s mind again but unsuccessfully. It got me worried, Emery wasn’t touching him anymore, yet it still looked like she’s in his mind.

Forty hours passed and nothing changed. I refused to leave my brother’s side so they brought an armchair for me to sit in. The same with Stark, although he was nervous and impatient so he left the room every now and then. He answered some calls but cancelled most of them. Other Avengers left, probably wanted some rest after the difficult week, only Hawkeye (Clint, as he told me to call him) and Natasha came to check on Pietro and Emery and brought me some food and water.

I nodded off again, curled up in the armchair. Then I suddenly felt a well-known presence in my mind and my eyes snapped open only to be met with a confused pair of familiar sky-blue ones.

“Pietro?” I asked with a huge smile on my face.

“Wanda?” he asked, still confused. I threw myself on him and started to laugh. The tears of happiness blurred my vision. He was shocked but hugged me back with all his strength. I almost couldn’t breathe but I didn’t care.

“What happened? I...I thought I…died,” he said.

Our conversation woke up Stark who looked our way, surprised, but then his eyes landed on Emery and he sighed.

“You did. She brought you back,” I informed him pointing to Emery.

“Wait, I saw her.” That got Stark’s attention again. “She was in my head. Her name’s Emery, isn’t it?”

I nodded, shocked. “What else do you remember?”

“Dying.” He flinched. “Then her and then…some beach?” he said questioningly.

“A beach?” Stark asked, brows raised.

“Yeah, a beach.” Pietro scratched his neck and noticed the needle in his arm and took it out.

“We have never been on a beach Pietro,” I scowled.

“I know. It’s weird. I have no idea how I got there. I just remember the sand, the sun and the waves of the ocean. And feeling…peaceful? Relaxed? Happy? It was probably just some kind of a strange dream.” He shook his head.

“Probably,” I smiled at him and ran my hand through his messy hair. “How do you feel?”

“I’m hungry,” he stated and I laughed. _‘Of course. When is he not hungry?’_

“OK, I’ll bring you something. Just wait here and don’t move.” I stood up, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I feel fine. I want to stand up, Wanda,” he protested and stood up. He made a step forward and almost lost his balance. I caught him.

“I don’t think so. Go back to bed,” I ordered and seeing his expression I added, “And don’t start with that ‘I’m twelve minutes older then you’.”

He chuckled and then grinned. “No way. I’m going with you. I got this.” He took another step and another and another. “See? I’m fine. Now come and let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving.”

“Why are you always so stubborn?” I mumbled and walked towards him. I caught him staring at Emery, worry in his eyes.

“Will she be alright?” he asked.

“She’s strong. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” I lied to him because I definitely wasn’t sure. I just hoped.

“How did she bring me back, anyway? And what happened after…well you know?” Pietro asked on our way to the kitchen.

“Oh, I’ll tell you. But it’s a loooong story. The good thing is, we have time,” I smiled at him hooking my arm through his.

When we came into the kitchen, the rest of the Avengers stared at Pietro in shock. He was enjoying the attention. Then he turned to Clint and grinned.

“You definitely didn’t see this coming, old man!”

** Emery **

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._ I heard it still louder and louder.

My eyes snapped open and I immediately sat up. I looked around, confused. _‘Where am I? What happened?’_ Then it all came back. _‘Pietro!’_ I looked sideways on the empty bed and frowned. _‘Did it work out? I can’t remember. The kids in the snow! And…and the avalanche of his memories. “Do you think we’ll remember this, doc?” The beach! Yes I was dreaming of the beach in Malibu.’_ I put my face into my hands. _‘God. My mind’s a mess.’_

I took the needle out of my arm and got rid of the electrodes on my chest. I pushed myself of the bed and carefully set my feet on the floor gaining the balance. When I felt steady enough I let go of the bed and moved forward.

“Jeez. That’s a mess,” I said. I walked out of the lab and searched the hallway with my eyes. It was empty and quiet. Then I found my cell phone on some boxes and looked at the time. 9 am. _‘Well that’s not so bad.’_ Then I saw the date. _‘Fuck! I was out for two days? Damn it!’_ And the missed calls. Pepper 24 times. Sara 6 times. Mark 4 times. _‘Great.’_

I dialed Sara’s number on my way back to the lab. I needed to find my car keys but I didn’t see them anywhere.

“Hey Em. Where have you been? Everyone’s been asking for you!” she said.

“Hey, I…uh…had something. I’ll explain later,” I told her.

“When? Are you coming today or are you ditching the lectures again?” she asked, irritated.

“I didn’t just ditch them. Damn it! Where are the bloody car keys?” I shouted.

“So you’re coming or what?”

“Yes, I’m coming I’ll be there in half an hour. I hope. I have to borrow my dad’s car. And I have to find him first,” I babbled, walking out of the lab again and going to the lounge.

“OK. Because Professor Brown is really pissed at you for not being at his lectures two days in a row.”

“His bloody boring lectures are the last thing on my mind right now. I’ll come when I come. When I get a car or else I’ll have to call a cab.” I walked into the lounge and found it empty. At least I thought. “Where the hell is everyone?” I said and then noticed all the Avengers looking at me, seated on a sofa on the balcony. I gulped.

“Where are you? Home?” Sara asked.

“Nope. I have to go. See ya in a bit.” I cancelled the call and looked around because I didn’t see dad.

“Cap! She said an ugly word,” Barton called up looking at Steve who rolled his eyes and grumbled something I didn’t hear. They laughed.

“Have you seen…?” I started but was cut off.

“Oh my god, there you are.” Dad walked through the door and pulled me into a bear hug.

“I…can’t…breathe,” I managed to say. He released me but still held me by shoulders. “Told you I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, after two days in coma,” he said. Then my eyes caught another person running towards us so I turned. It was Wanda with a huge smile on her face. That was a big change from the last time I saw her. Sad and broken.

“Thank you!” she almost screamed joyously in my ear, hugging me. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing, really,” I waved with my hand.

“No. It’s everything for me. He’s everything for me. I can’t thank you enough,” she told me seriously.

“As long as he won’t die again and destroy my hard work, it’s OK.” I smiled at her.

“I’ll try not to,” a familiar voice said. _‘Do you think we will remember this, doc?’_

“Pietro. I’m glad you are alright,” I smiled shyly at him. “I’m…”

“Emery. I know. I remember. You were in my head. Thank you for…saving my ass, I guess,” he grinned and scratched the back of his neck looking nervous.

“You are welcome.” _‘It’s a nice ass, though. Emery! What the hell?’_ I blushed and turned to dad. “I need your car keys. I can’t find mine.”

“Where are you going?” he asked surprised.

“I have some lectures today. I already missed two days. I’ll come back later. I’ll have to check him for the side effects and stuff,” I explained, pointing to Pietro.

“You should rest,” he protested but gave me the keys.

“I’m fine,” I assured him then I looked at my clothes. “Shit. Nat? Could you please lend me some clothes? I can’t go out like this. I look like a mess.”

“Sure. Come with me,” she said and walked down from the balcony.

“Hey, I have a question,” Wanda called after me.

“Yes?” I stopped in my tracks.

“What do you remember from the coma?” At that, all eyes looked at me.

I frowned in concentration. “Not much. It’s messy. I remember his memories pulling me down, you two as kids playing in the snow and then…nothing.” _‘Do you think we’ll remember this, doc?’_ I smiled.

“That’s all?” she asked, incredulous.

“Actually, I remember you,” I looked at Pietro, “asking me if we will remember it. But it’s more like a voice in my head then a picture.”

“Remember what?” he asked confused.

“I don’t know. I guess we don’t remember it.” I laughed and started walking away when something occurred in my mind.

“A beach. I remember a beach in Malibu. I guess it’s my memory,” I threw at them over my shoulder and disappeared in the hallway with Nat. I didn’t see their shocked faces, neither Wanda’s knowing smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi my dear readers, how are you? I hope you are having a nice week and for it to be even better I have a new chapter for you. It's written from Pietro's POV. Enjoy it! Also big thanks for kudos and comments.

**Pietro**

“What are you not telling me, Wanda?” I asked my sister while stretched on the bed in a room they gave her.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she said, disinterested.

“You know very well. You have that smile on your face every time I mention Stark junior,” I told her.

“It’s nothing. I’m just really grateful. She saved you even if she didn’t know you. If she did she probably couldn’t care less about you. You’re annoying,” Wanda grinned and stuck her tongue at me.

“Oh, really?” I murmured and grinned wickedly.

“Don’t you dare!” she laughed but didn’t even have a chance to move away before I grabbed her and started to tickle her.

“Pietro! Stop!” she managed to say through her laughing fits.

“I won’t until you tell me what you know,” I stated.

“OK! You got me. Now stop!”

I did. She was trying to catch her breath and sit up, the huge smile still on her face.

“You look happy. I don’t remember when was the last time I saw you smile and laugh like this. I missed it,” I confessed.

“Well, there wasn’t a lot of occasions or situations for being happy and you know it. But now I…I almost lost you…and I’m just happy that I got you back,” she told me, ruffled my hair and kissed me on the temple. “To answer your question: I think that Emery was in your head even after Stark moved her away from you. I wasn’t able to reach into your mind. It was still protected by the wall of Emery’s mind. And you both remember the beach.”

“So you think she was in my head all the time I was in the coma?” I asked her, disbelieving.

“Not exactly. First, it’s just a theory because that ‘beach’ could have happened while she was still touching you, and second, I’m not saying she was in ‘your’ head all the time. It looks like you were in hers, because she mentioned that the beach was her memory. But as I’m saying I’m not entirely sure,” she explained.

I’ve been thinking about it since I woke up. Having another person going through my memories and thoughts felt so wrong. I got used to Wanda being in my head but a stranger? She was practically violating my privacy. _‘I admit that it was obviously necessary but I’m not OK with it.’_ Besides, the whole thing with bringing me back to life was weird. I just remembered dying and then nothing, only some small fragments from the coma and waking up like I just took a nap. _‘I don’t even feel different. I guess I should. After all, I died.’_ It didn’t matter how many times I repeated it in my head it still didn’t seem real. But it was. I sighed.

“What are you thinking about?” Wanda asked after a while.

“Why don’t you just look into my head?” I muttered.

“You seemed like you could use some privacy,” she said.

“Privacy. Yeah, that is a luxury. I don’t even know if I have any privacy left after the little golden-haired intruder stormed through my memories,” I snickered.

“She didn’t have a choice. And I guess she doesn’t even remember your memories. At least not many of them,” she defended Emery.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I waved it away. _‘I’ll see for myself if I can trust the princess or not.’_ “Now to the real problem. What do we do now? Where do we go?”

“I think we should consider Cap’s offer.” She looked at me with uncertainty written in her eyes.

“So you want to tell me you trust them now?” I asked, incredulous. “I mean, yeah, we fought together to bring down Ultron, but staying here with ‘them’ is a completely different thing!”

“I’m not saying I trust them, but they saved you. You should be thankful. And it’s not like we have any other choice, Pietro. Look at us. Our desire for revenge is the reason we ended up like lab rats, developing powers and almost caused the human extinction after teaming up with Ultron. We can’t take that back but we can try to use those powers to protect people. The Avengers are not so bad.”

“Not so bad? Really? Few days ago we wanted to destroy them!” I raised my voice irritated and started pacing from side to side.

“Few days ago we didn’t know them. And a lot of things changed. As I said, they saved you while they could have let you stay dead. I think they are trying to do good and they give second chances,” she pointed out.

“Yes, but I don’t know. Maybe we should leave and try to form our own team. We two, we have each other. We don’t need anyone else. Besides, I definitely don’t trust Stark and I never will,” I informed her.

“I don’t trust him too, but we should give it a try. He’s not even in charge, Cap is. He kind of looks like someone who makes the right decisions. He even tried to stop Stark from uploading that Jarvis into the synthetic body. And if we won’t like it here, we can still leave.” She was now standing next to me, putting her arms around me and looking with big blue eyes straight into mine. _‘We don’t have home. Sokovia is destroyed. We don’t have anything, all of our things are lying under the rubble of the city. Maybe staying for some time won’t hurt. I can come up with some plan of what to do next or where to go,’_ I thought.

“OK then. We can try it, but the first minute we won’t like it, we are getting out of here. Understood?” I told her, looking into her eyes.

“Yes, dad,” she chuckled and buried her face in my neck.

“You should take a nap. You must be tired. I doubt you had a good night sleep in the past two days,” I murmured into her hair.

“No, I’m fine,” she protested but yawned. I picked her up into my arms and carried her to the bed.

“I don’t take no as an answer. Now sleep at least for a few hours.” I put her down on the bed and put a blanket over her. I was about to move away from her when she gripped my hand.

 _“I can’t sleep Pietro,”_ she told me telepathically, her scared eyes fixed on mine. _“I’m afraid to close my eyes. I’m afraid that if I fall sleep, I will wake up and you’ll be gone. This being just a dream.”_ She squeezed my hand firmly.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her, sitting down on the bed next to her. “This is not a dream, Wanda. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

I stayed with her until she was fast asleep. I planned on staying there the whole time, keeping my promise, but I just couldn’t sit on my ass. I got bored and I had a lot of energy, so thinking of how tired she was and that she won’t wake up so soon, I decided to go explore the tower. More importantly I needed to run. I needed to assure myself that I can still do it. I came into a hallway and checked if it’s empty. It was. I grinned, satisfied, and sped off. Unfortunately I didn’t even make it to the end of the long hallway and I was forced to stop. I fell to my knees, hugging myself and desperately trying to catch my breath. My lungs were on fire and muscles hurt like hell.

“Shit!” I cursed punching the floor in one fast motion of my fist. The floor cracked, but my knuckles luckily didn’t.

I stood up and walked to the elevator. I chose the floor where the lounge and kitchen was. I was hungry. Again. When the door opened I readied myself and tried to run the rest of the way. I guess it wasn’t the best idea because I collapsed on the floor in the lounge, stars dancing before my eyes from the lack of oxygen and pain.

“What the hell are you doing, kid?” I heard a worried voice over me. Barton.

“What does it look like? I’m just stretching on the damn floor,” I growled sarcastically in frustration.

“You probably shouldn’t use your super speed so soon. You just came back from death,” he said.

“I don’t need you to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. You are not my father!” I jerked away from him when he tried to help me up but remained seated on the floor. I felt dizzy.

“What’s going on?” I heard a girl spoke up from the doorway so I looked up. It was Emery. She looked so different than the girl she was in the morning. She was dressed in black skinny trousers, black leather jacket and a green silky blouse, which contrasted with her emerald eyes. Her golden hair twisted together in a long loose plate, which was falling down her shoulder. _‘She looks hot. But I’m not buying her innocent façade,’_ I thought. I stubbornly looked at the floor I was sitting on and ignored her question.

“Pietro tried to use his super speed and when he got here he fell to the ground,” Barton informed her. I could see that she started moving towards me.

“What? That was dumb. I haven’t examined you yet. I told you there can be side effects,” she scolded me. I shrugged. She crouched next to me.

“He’s a stubborn kid,” Barton mumbled. I gave him an angry stare.

“How do you feel?” Emery asked me, frowning.

“I’m fine. I just…I’m alright. I don’t need your help,” I grumbled, anger still bubbling in my chest. _‘I’m not a weakling.’_  

“Letting someone help you doesn’t mean you are weak, Pietro,” she sighed. My eyes widened.

“Get the hell out of my head! You already spent more time there than I would like!” I scowled at her.

“Hey, I’m not even touching you, alright!” she spoke up, raising hands. “Stop being a bullheaded moron and let me look at you. I’m basically your doctor now.”

I could see she was pissed off. _‘Good.’_ She continued looking at me with the irritated expression on her face. When I didn’t say anything she stood up and walked away to grab her bag and pulled a stethoscope from it. She put it around her neck and returned to me. This time she remained standing and didn’t even look at me. Then she turned towards Barton and whispered something to him. He raised his brows but nodded and with one last glance at me walked out of sight.

“Are you going to sit there whole day?” she asked leaning against the sofa. She looked disinterested. _‘God, she’s really Stark junior. She thinks she owns the world and everyone on it.’_ I sighed. I wanted to know what’s wrong with me. Doing as she says was probably my only choice.

“I don’t know if I can stand up,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that? I didn’t hear it,” she leaned closer with a satisfied grin. _‘Oh you won’t have that grin for long trust me.’_

“I’m sure you did. I feel dizzy,” I admitted.

“OK, so let me help you stand up and move you to the sofa,” she offered me her hand, her expression changing to a kind one. That’s when I realized she was wearing black fingerless gloves. I grabbed her arm and she helped me up. I finally didn’t feel so dizzy.

“Why the gloves? Aren’t your hands sweating in them?” I asked her while sitting down on the armrest of the sofa.

She raised one brow at me quizzically. “Remember the mind reading thing?” She wiggled her fingers in front of my face. “I can do that only by touching someone directly. Skin to skin. I can’t control my telepathy. Every time I touch someone I get into his or hers head. These gloves form a barrier. I hate getting into someone’s head.”

“But your fingers are still uncovered,” I observed.

“Yeah, but it’s still better than having my whole hand uncovered. Now take your shirt off,” she ordered.

“Hmm, bossy princess. If this is what you wanted, you should’ve asked me sooner,” I grinned and took my shirt off slowly on purpose. She rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Then she came closer and my grin even widened. _‘This will be fun.’_ She took the stethoscope and moved her hand with it towards my chest. I could see how carefully she placed it over my heart, not wanting to touch me with her fingers. Something came to my mind. I smirked and looked at her face. I kept staring right into her eyes, waiting for her response. _‘Wow, they are really like an emerald. I guess even her name suits her eyes. Emery. What am I doing?’_ I blinked few times, coming back to reality but continued staring at her.

“Take a deep breath,” she said. I did.

“Again.” I repeated it. She looked like she doesn’t even see me staring at her but after a while I noticed how she stepped from leg to leg and sighed, obviously uncomfortable. I grinned wider. I could see a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she finally asked. _‘I won!’_

“So it would make you uncomfortable,” I told her honestly.

“Asshole.” She gave me a stare but I could see her lips twitching.

“Also I’m trying to figure something out about you,” I continued my game.

“And that is?” She was listening to my breathing, placing the stethoscope on my back.

“Did your parents named you Emery because of your emerald eyes?” I turned and looked at her face again. She was looking at me, thinking probably about what I just said, with a smile on her pink lips. Then she started to laugh.

“What?” I asked confused.

“Nothing,” she said still laughing. “It’s just that I’ve never thought about it this way.”

“So they didn’t?” I raised my brows.

“Nope.” She smiled a sad smile. I thought I saw sorrow in her eyes but I wasn’t sure. We were staring at each other for a while. It was weird. It felt like we were trying to figure out everything about each other just from our eyes. We were practically just inches apart, me sitting on the armrest, she standing in front of me being slightly taller now.

“Emery?” she stepped back from me as if electrocuted by the voice coming from behind her. It was a tall ginger-haired woman in a beige trouser suit.

“Hey, Pepper,” Emery greeted her casually, shooting her a quick glance. “Well, as I was saying,” she turned back to me, “your heart and lungs are OK. How did you feel after running?”

“Out of breath, my muscles hurt. That’s it,” I told her looking from her to the woman behind her.

“Emery!” the woman called again. Emery sighed and turned towards her. “It’s been almost three days! I called you and you didn’t pick up. Tony didn’t pick up. What the hell is going on? Why didn’t you call me back? I was going out of my mind! Bobby was fussing around crying, thinking you are not coming back! I thought something happened to you! We woke up and you were gone, no note or anything.”

“I’m sorry but it was emergency. I didn’t have time to write a note. And besides, I told dad to call you today but he obviously didn’t. I was here the whole time. I was busy, I’m really sorry,” she told her.

“Well, that excuse is not enough. Even when you are in the lab you have time to call me back. And you know how Bobby is! Even that professor from your university called that you missed two lectures. I deserve an explanation!” She came closer to us.

“That arrogant imbecile called you? Oh my god I can’t believe it!” Emery laughed.

“Emery! You shouldn’t call him like that. He’s your professor. And now, the explanation please,” the red-head scolded her.

“I don’t care. It’s the truth. And I’m sorry I can’t give you one. It’s classified,” Emery uttered and turned back to me. I already felt awkward with the whole situation. Like a third wheel. These were personal matters they were discussing. _‘Hey, she didn’t ask you to enter your memories so don’t feel bad about this,’_ a little voice in my head said.

“Did you feel like this before? Maybe after you started running like that?” She flicked her eyes towards the woman and then back to me. She didn’t want her to know about my powers.

“Yes. It was like this at the beginning.” Then it hit me. “It was actually exactly like this before I went through the training. Oh god! I have to learn it all over again!” I looked at her for confirmation.

“It seems that way. You will have to take it easy. Train every day. I can ask Nat to prepare a training schedule for you,” she said with a smile.

“Great.” I ran my hand through my hair, mildly exasperated.

“It could’ve been worse,” Emery commented while putting the stethoscope back into her bag.

“So he was the emergency?” the red-head asked. Emery ignored the question.

“Can I put the shirt back on?” I asked. “Or is there anything else you wanna do, Rapunzel?” I winked at her, grinning. Her face went red. I didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or anger or something different.

“Actually there is something I should do but…uh, I have to do it. I have to check if your cells are doing alright. I don’t want to go into your head. But I have to, um, touch you.” There it was again. _‘Does she act like this all the time when she has to touch someone? Or is it just me? She’s sweet when she’s blushing. And I feel great when I make her uncomfortable. But do I want her to touch me? Or not?’_

 _“Come on, Pietro, she’s a doctor, she needs to examine you. You can get over her going into your head at least one more time!”_ I heard Wanda’s voice in my head. _“Besides, you deserve it. You didn’t keep your promise to me and look how you are acting towards the poor girl.”_

_“I’m sorry, Wanda.”_

“Pietro?” Emery asked. “You here?”

“Huh? Yes. OK, do what you have to do,” I resigned. She took off the glove from her right hand and stepped closer. I looked into her eyes.

“Don’t think about anything, or think about one neutral thing. That way I won’t see anything else,” she advised me. I nodded. “Tell me when you are ready.”

I looked around trying to find something to think about. But I didn’t find anything interesting except the girl before me. I smirked. I fixed my eyes on her face.

“I’m ready.”

She placed her shaking hand on my bare shoulder and took a deep breath. Then she took it away, looking at me, confused. Then repeated the process.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“Don’t understand what?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“I can’t read your mind. I mean I touch you and nothing. I can connect to your cells but not to your thoughts,” she said, perplexed. “Maybe Wanda is protecting…”

“It’s not me,” Wanda called, coming through the doorway. “It’s him.”

“Me? I’m not doing anything,” I told them in defense.

“You don’t want her to go inside your head. That’s enough. It activates some kind of shield in your mind. The same one Emery has. That’s why I can’t read her mind and probably why I couldn’t get into your head while you were in the coma. I guess it’s another side effect of the treatment,” she explained.

“Nice. So princess can’t get into my head again. She probably spent too much time there,” I laughed. I looked over at Emery, prepared to see her angry face but she wasn’t angry. It looked like she was…relieved.

“Well, I think that not only I can’t get into your head but if you will keep up that wall or shield or whatever, any other telepath can’t get there. Now keep it up, I’m going to check your cells.” She touched me again with more confidence than before. After a while she took her hand away.

“Now you can put that shirt back on if you want to,” she stated.

“If I want to?” I laughed. “I don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Pietro!” Wanda smacked me on the shoulder as I was putting the shirt on.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant it…whatever!” Emery groaned.

“Will someone finally tell me what’s going on?” asked the woman in the costume. I almost forgot she was there.

“I told you it’s classified!” Emery repeated. Then she looked at me and Wanda.

“Anyway, this is Wanda and her brother Pietro. I don’t know their last name,” she introduced us. “And guys, this is Pepper Potts.”

“Our last name is Maximoff. Nice to meet you, uh, Miss Potts?” Wanda said and shook the woman’s hand.

“Yes, Miss. Still. It’s actually Virginia but everyone calls me Pepper so you can too,” she smiled a perfect smile. I shook her hand too. “So what’s the story? You have a cute accent. Russians?”

“We are from Sokovia,” I told her. It surprised her. She looked at Emery for explanation.

“Jeez, you won’t stop, will you? They have powers and they helped the rest of the Avengers to destroy Ultron. He got hurt, they needed a doctor so Nat called me and I came and patched him up. End of story. You won’t be given more details,” Emery said.

“I see we have a guest.” Cap walked in the lounge followed by Stark.

“Hey honey, what are you doing here?” Stark asked her, kissed her on the cheek and put his arm around her.

 _“Honey?”_ I asked Wanda telepathically. She shrugged.

“Really? What am I doing here? You create a murder-bot and then chase after it with your superhero friends, not letting us know if you are alright or not! Emery goes missing for two days and is not picking up the phone! And you are asking me what am I doing here?” Pepper raised her voice at him.

“OK. Honey, don’t panic. Everything is alright! I was going to call you,” Stark tried to calm her down.

“Besides this tower is ‘twelve percent’ my baby as you said. I have every right to be here! And we are going home because your own son doesn’t even know how his father looks like anymore! Or Bobby for that matter! And speaking of Bobby, you are going home too, Em. You have a lot to explain to him. No excuses, both of you. Take your things and we are leaving! Now!” Pepper ordered and waved to us on her way out. Both Stark and Emery stood there, transfixed.

“I said now!” Pepper called from the hallway.

“Yeah, I think we should…” Stark started and looked at Emery.

“We definitely should. Bye,” she looked at us and Cap and turned to leave. “Oh, if you have any other problems just tell me.” She looked at me and left.

“I would never dare to say that Tony Stark is not in charge of his own household. That was something,” I laughed.

“I would never think he has a girlfriend and kids,” Wanda said.

“I would never think his daughter is a mutant. Not that I wouldn’t know he has kids. But I didn’t know he has a twenty-three years old daughter. And that she works for the Avengers Science Division,” Cap added. “Speaking of the Avengers Initiative; are you in or out?”

“We are in,” Wanda told him.

“Alright then. Welcome aboard kids,” he shook our hands. “I have to take care of some things but you two make yourself at home.” He left.

“Home. I don’t know how that feels anymore,” I told Wanda.

“Me neither.” She sighed.

“I hope we are doing the right thing by staying here,” I wondered.

“Me too. But Em is great, isn’t she?” Wanda asked with a teasing smile.

“I don’t know. I still don’t trust her. She is a Stark. But I guess I will have a great time teasing her,” I chuckled.

“Poor girl. She saved your life, Pietro. You can’t treat her like this only because of her last name,” she pointed out.

“Emery is Stark junior. She is just like her father, you just don’t see that. Yet,” I grumbled.

“I think you are wrong.” She grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s find something to eat.”

We made our way towards the kitchen. Wanda found some eggs in the fridge so she decided to make scrambled eggs. I was sitting on a bar stool watching her but then I lost myself in my thoughts. _‘Of course I would have some side effects. No one can come from death without them. Well. No one can come from death, but I did. And now I have to get myself into the form again. But the good thing is I know how to shield my mind. Rapunzel won’t be able to go there.’_ I flinched. Thinking of her caused a light pressure somewhere in my mind. I already felt it today but ignored it. I had no idea what it was. I tried to push at it hoping that something will happen. It kind of felt like a door which can be opened only from my side. But they were sealed shut. My pressure on it opened them slightly but they were shut again from the other side. _‘I’m getting crazy! Screw it.’_

“The food is ready,” Wanda called up.

“Great! I thought I will go nuts from being hungry,” I laughed.

“You and your fast metabolism. I hope they are prepared for never having enough food because of you.” She seated herself on the bar stool next to me and gave me a plate.

“Thank you, sis.” I kissed her cheek.

“You are welcome. And don’t choke with it. Priyatnogo appetita! (Bon appetite!)” She smiled.

“Priyatnogo appetita, sestra! (Bon appetite, sister!).”

I wolfed it down in no time and then we spent the rest of the evening watching movies in Wanda’s room. Finally we didn’t have to care about anything. We could enjoy the peace and quiet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I'm giving you a new chapter. It was really hard to write it because I had some ideas but didn't know how to put them together. I hope you like it though. I hope I'll give you next chapter on time because I have a lot of work now. But I'll do everything in my power to write it on time.
> 
> Note: sentences written in « » are spoken in Russian

**Emery**

“A family dinner!” Dad called up, excited. “Why don’t we do something like this more often?”

I looked at Pepper from my spot on the sofa with a quizzical look, smiling. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I’d rather not answer that question,” she said.

“No, I mean it, honey. Let’s do it regularly,” dad told her and kissed her on the cheek.

“How many times in a year do you consider as regular, dad?” I asked him, laughing.

“Few times a week?” he said seriously. Pepper and I stared at him in shock. “I…I’m done.”

“Done with what?” Pepper asked.

“Everything. Being Avenger, being Iron man. I want to do good, but I always end up messing things up more. I want to spend time with my family. And to try to do things right.”

“Are you saying you are going to retire?” I asked, my brows raised in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t put it that way. Don’t make me feel older than I am,” he grinned. “But yes. No more fighting, no more action. I’ll remain only as a consultant.”

“And what about your lab?” Pepper spoke.

“Well, I won’t spend so much time there. Only if they would need me.”

“Or until you’ll get another amazing idea. Dad, you said that so many times and yet you never kept your word.” I looked down at Bobby curled up into my side. His huge eyes were flicking between dad, Pepper and me.

“I really mean it this time. I swear, Em,” he looked reassuringly into my eyes.

“Alright. We’ll see how serious your decision is but for now we can go with it, can’t we?” Pepper remarked.

“Yes!” Bobby screamed happily.

We sat there for some time watching a random movie in the TV, just enjoying the fact that we are all together after such a long time. Bobby wasn’t even playing with his toys. He didn’t let go of me since we arrived home. I had to explain to him how I couldn’t come because someone was hurt and I had to help him. Thanks God he understood it. But now he will probably shadow my every step. After a while I felt his body growing heavier when the sleep finally took a hold on him. I caressed his cheek. He didn’t move.

“Hey, I’m going to put him in the bed. And I’m going to sleep too, I have some classes tomorrow,” I exclaimed, massaging the bridge of my nose.

“Fine. You need help with him?” Dad asked, slowly rising from his place next to Pepper.

“No, I’ll just teleport us into my bedroom,” I told him.

“You feel alright?” he asked, worry in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m just tired. And I have a headache. I just need some sleep and I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, dad. Good night,” I told them and carefully teleported myself and Bobby right on my bed. He didn’t notice it and continued in his slumber. I took this as an opportunity to sneak away from him and went to the bathroom to take a shower. If I thought that it would make my head hurt less, I was terribly wrong. It was throbbing all evening. At first I felt something pushing on the back of my mind. It was a familiar feeling but long forgotten. It used to mean that Danny was trying to reach me telepathically, but I knew better. _‘It’s not possible anymore, he’s somewhere I can’t reach him.’_ So I pushed against that spot as hard as I could until it was gone. But later it continued and it grew into the throbbing pain I was feeling now.

I climbed out of the shower and decided to take some painkillers, hoping it would help. I put on my night gown and tiptoed through the room, then slowly laid in the bed next to Bobby’s little sleeping form. I turned on my side towards him and closed my eyes. The throbbing didn’t stop even after what could be half an hour but in reality it was just ten minutes. I groaned and rolled on the other side. _‘Please, stop. Let me sleep,’_ I told the pain in my mind. I didn’t remember when it stopped. It could be the next minute or the next hour. But then the darkness swallowed me and I left into the world of dreams. Or more precisely, nightmares.

_I was lying on my back on some kind of hospital bed. My weak eyes were looking at the ceiling as I was carried somewhere down the long corridor.  Even though I felt completely drained and apathetic, a part of me was still scared. Scared for my brother, scared for Mel, scared for what is waiting for me today but at the same time I was scared that death will not keep me again and I’ll have to suffer more. I already died twice this week and twice did I come back._

_That’s when I heard it. A girl screaming. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the hallway anymore but in a small cell with a huge glass window._

_“Wanda!” a boy lying in an old bed cried. It was Pietro. But he had longer and messier brown hair. His soft curls looked like rays of sun sprayed across the pillow around his head. He was trying to sit up but failing, because he was too weak. The dark circles under his eyes and sickly white skin was speaking for everything. He continued calling for his sister and listening to her terrified screams from the distance._

_“STOP IT! PLEASE! JUST STOP HURTING HER!” he shouted after a while and fell on the ground. A man came into the cell. I knew him. Disgust was bubbling in my chest._

_“Mr. Maximoff you knew what you and your sister were signing for. We cannot stop now. But don’t worry about her, she will be alright. I administered a special serum to her. It will keep her from dying,” Baron von Strucker said to a now standing Pietro. He looked better and stronger every minute._

_“How can I be sure she won’t die?” Pietro hissed._

_“Because I gave you the same serum and we never made it this far before. Every one of our subjects died after stage two of the enhancing process. Yet you are alive and good. I can’t say the same about her though.” Strucker turned towards me with a wicked smile across his face and stabbed me with a scalpel. I gasped and fell to my knees._

_The scene changed and I was on an operational table fighting for my life with some men who were trying to restrain me. They were successful. Strucker, dressed in green doctor’s gown, came closer with a scalpel in his hand. He lowered it to my leg and I whimpered. Tears were running down my face as I was readying myself for the pain._

_“Discovery requires experimentation. Just as Dr. Whitehall used to say.”_

_Then the blade cut into my flesh and I screamed._

My eyes shot open as I was breathing heavily, covered in sweat. I looked sideways at Bobby but he was sleeping peacefully. _‘At least someone.’_ Then I looked at the time on my phone. 3 a.m. My usual time for waking up from nightmares. I quietly sneaked out from my bedroom and went straight into the kitchen. I poured some milk in the glass and heated it in the microwave. Then I sat on the chair and put my head on the table.

I usually don’t think about the stuff that haunts me in the sleep but this time it’s different. _‘What the hell was Pietro doing in my dream?’_ I was thinking. _‘What if it wasn’t a dream, what if it was his memory mixed up with my own? Great, now I’ll be haunted not only with my own memories but also with his. And I was so happy that I remembered almost nothing from the time I spent in his head. But it’s the only explanation.’_ I groaned and ran my hands over my face.

_Do you think we’ll remember this, doc?_

Beach. Pietro lying on his back in the sand, shirtless. His eyes closed and a soft smile playing on his lips. I cuddled into his side, my head on his chest, his arm encircling my waist.

_Doc? I’m not a doctor. Not yet. And I don’t know._

“Hell no! What the fuck, brain? This so didn’t happen!” I mumbled in my hands. “Or did it?” _‘Maybe if I stop thinking about it I will forget it and I won’t remember the rest of it. But why am I so curious? Nope. NOPE. Em! Stop! Just concentrate on something else. Let it go.’_

I drank the whole glass of milk and wandered back into the bed hoping that when I fall asleep I won’t be thinking about my time in Pietro’s mind. _‘He’s so annoying. I don’t want anything to do with him. So just stop thinking about him.’_

Next day went really slowly. I was tired and unable to concentrate on anything. When I told professor Brown my excuse why I wasn’t on his lectures (which was that I hit my head pretty hard and was ordered bedrest) I thought that I really might end up with concussion. If looks could kill, I would be most certainly dead. He didn’t believe a word, I could see it. But I gave him a (fake) paper from a doctor so he couldn’t do anything about it. Either way he spent next two hours yelling at me probably only because I was breathing. Also the hardest questions went only my way.

“What is he trying to accomplish with this?” Sara asked on our way out.

“To publicly humiliate me,” I mumbled while checking for any missed calls.

“Moron.”

We came into our favorite cantina, bought a lunch and found probably the last free table where we were joined by our friends, Mark and John. My next lecture was about two hours away so I wasn’t rushing anywhere and when I finished my meal I laid my head on the table and checked the phone from time to time.

“Are you expecting someone to call you?” Mark asked me.

“Huh? No, why?” I raised my eyebrows.

“You’ve been checking your phone since we got here,” Sara said. “Anyone I should know about?” She laughed.

“No one. You know how Bobby is. Sometimes he just calls. And today he wanted to go here with me,” I quickly made something up.

“He had to get scared when you fell, right?” John said.

“What? Oh, yeah. He did. He just can’t lose anyone else.”

They looked at each other, doubt all over their faces.

“What?” I asked them.

“You think we believe that bullshit you told the professor? Where have you been? The truth, please,” Sara told me.

“It’s not bullshit. I hit my head and had a concussion. I had to stay in bed.”

“So why didn’t even Pepper know where you were? She called me, you know?” I could feel she’s getting angry.

“I…I was with dad when it happened,” I babbled. _‘I’m losing this fight.’_

“Aha. So it happened…where? Cause as we know he was busy saving flying cities,” Mark was now angry too.

“He was already back on Sunday.” The headache was coming back as well as the unexplainable pressure at the back of my mind. “When I heard it on the radio I came rushing into the Avengers tower to find him. As I was…as I was running…I tripped and…and fell.” I was now clutching my head in my hands wishing the pain away.

“Are you alright?” Mark asked worried and reached with his hand to touch my forehead. I flinched away. “I’m sorry, I just want to see if you are fine.”

“You know I don’t like people touching me. And don’t worry it’s just a headache, I had it even yesterday.”

“Hey, sorry we didn’t believe you. It was just all so weird. You want some painkillers?” Sara said.

“It’s fine. But the painkillers are a great idea.”

“So, the Avengers tower, you say. Have you met Thor?” John asked, eyes shining with curiosity.

“I did.”

That shut them up. Either they were in shock or they were preparing the infinite number of questions to ask me.

When I finally came to the lab, Dr. Cho was already back and running some tests on the project we were working on. I said hi while putting my lab coat on and then I sat myself in the chair and put my head on the table. Thanks god Helen already knows not to question me when I’m not in the mood because I definitely wasn’t. I suffered every minute in the school, wishing someone called me and I would have to leave sooner. But I wasn’t that lucky. I would rather be here in the lab doing something useful. Not just sitting around, listening to others speaking about stuff I don’t care about. Yes, I will probably need it if I want to be a doctor but that would be a complete truth if I wasn’t able to heal people only with my touch. Sometimes I even think about quitting the damn school. But who knows what will be in few years. I have a job now, here, working for ASD (Avengers Science Division), but will I work here forever? Probably not. _‘If you want to find a different job in the future, you have to finish the school Em._ _Thanks brain.’_

Even the stupid headache was coming back again. I sighed. _‘I don’t know what to do with it anymore. If someone pisses me off I’ll probably cry. I’m done.’_

“We are getting new labs. Did you know about it, Em?” Helen asked me.

I slowly straightened up and rubbed my eyes. The light was making the pain worse.

“What? No, I didn’t. Who told you?”

“I ran into Maria this morning and she told me. Works on the building will start in few days. It will take at least two months to finish the reconstruction but still, I can’t wait to see the new labs and toys we’ll have there,” she said while checking some cells under the microscope.

“Do you know where it will be?” I asked, curious.

“No. It’s classified for now. But I heard that the area will also be a new training facility for the Avengers.”

“Really?” _‘That means it will be probably somewhere out of the city. It would be really dumb training them here in the downtown. For example, training the Hulk would be really complicated either way.’_ I smiled. And thinking of the Hulk…

“Helen? Have you heard something about Dr. Banner? I haven’t seen him with the rest of them.”

“I was told he left immediately after the battle. I don’t know more.”

“But where did he go? Will he come back?”

Helen looked at me and shrugged. “Maybe he needs some time alone.”

He was one of the best scientists. I was really looking forward to working with him but it seems like I won’t be.

“Hello again, lab.”

I turned around on the chair so fast I almost fell from it. Pietro. Of course. I waved at him.

“Hey, quick guy,” I smiled. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. But quick guy?” He leaned against the doorway with an amused expression.

“What? I’m trying to find a suitable nickname for you. You think you are the only one who can call others by nicknames?” I crossed my arms, standing.

“Whatever, Rapunzel. You can continue in finding the right one because this one sucks,” he snickered.

Helen was eyeing us with curiosity from her spot at the microscope and when she realized she was caught she turned around and continued in her work.

“Where’s your sister?”

“I’m here!” I heard her call somewhere from the corridor. “I’m just not that fast as this one.”

“Are you going somewhere?” I asked her when I observed her clothes and purse.

“Yes. We need some new clothes because I doubt they will salvage something wearable from our stuff back in Sokovia. We have nothing now,” she explained with sadness.

“I’m sorry. It must be hard for you. I wish I could help you somehow,” I told her.

“We don’t need charity. We are good, right Wanda?” Pietro scowled.

Wanda gave him a disapproving look, then turned back to me. “There is actually one way how you could help us.”

Pietro groaned.

“How?” I smiled.

“You can come with us. We’ve never been here but you know the city and some good shops. Of course, only if you have time.” Wanda’s eyes flicked towards Helen and back.

I knew I should probably stay in the lab and do my work because I hadn’t done a thing since I got there, but seeing the hope in Pietro’s eyes that I’ll say no just made me do the opposite.

“Helen? I gotta go. I promise I will do double work tomorrow,” I told her while taking the lab coat off and grabbing my bag.

“OK. What else can I tell you? There’s not much work today, so I guess it’s fine if you go,” she sighed.

“Oh my god! NO! I’m not going shopping with two girls. Forget it,” Pietro protested.

“Alright, you can stay here if you don’t like it,“ Wanda told him, caught my arm and dragged me with her down the hall. I had a satisfied grin on my face. But it didn’t last long because in a short time we were joined by Pietro again.

«You think I will let you go with her alone?» Pietro said in Russian. I ignored him but Wanda looked like she’s telling him something telepathically.

“So, where do you want to go first?” I asked them.

“Back into the tower,” Pietro babbled.

“Just ignore him. Maybe some shops with clothing,” Wanda smiled.

“We can take my car. It’ll be better than to go by subway. It’s too crowded at this hour,” I offered and we went into the garage.

“Wait. This is your car?” Pietro asked, looking at the dark blue BMW. Wanda just stared at it, wide eyed.

“Theoretically, yes,” I shrugged, looking at it with sad eyes.

“Theoretically? It has STARK3 written on the license plate. Whose car is it really? Your father’s, I guess. I doubt you would have a sports car,” he grinned, amused by the idea.

I was still looking at the car, lost in thoughts. Lost in the past.

* * *

 

“Hey, Em, do you have time?” Danny asked, leaning against the doorway in my bedroom.

I raised my head and closed the book I was reading. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“You know, I finally got my first paycheck. A really nice number is written there. You remember when we were kids and Tony asked us what would we do with the first paycheck from a real job?”

“I said I would donate it to some orphanage and you refused to answer,” I laughed.

“Yes, because compared to you my answer would be really selfish,” he scratched the back of his neck.

“So what do you want to do with it?”

“I already invested part of it in something. I’m going to build our own secret lab. Will you help me?” he lowered his voice.

“Really? Oh my god that’s amazing. Of course I will help you!” I jumped off the bed and hugged him tightly. “And what about the rest?”

“That’s a secret. Come with me and you’ll see. I need your help,” he grinned.

We ended up in a car shop. There were so many beautiful cars. He wanted me to help him pick one but it was so hard. Until I saw a BMW Z4 with the color of the night sky and I fell in love. I told him it looks like elegant sports car and that I love it. It was enough for him and he bought it. That day we came back home really late at night. We were driving in his new car along the coast in Malibu, the wind in our hair and smile on our faces. We joked, we laughed. It was one amazing day that I really needed back then because of the stress from finals.

When the night came we stopped and watched the lights in LA come to life. Our favorite songs quietly playing from the radio.

“Why did you want me to pick you a car?” I smiled at him.

“Because this is not my car. It’s our car,” he said, looking into my eyes.

“Our? That’s what you wanted to do with your first paycheck? To buy a car for both of us?”

“No. I wanted to buy a chance to get away from troubles, from everyone. Something that we could share together and have fun. What’s better than a car?”

“Then I don’t see anything selfish about it. Thank you,” I told him and he pulled me close.

“There’s nothing to thank for. You are my little sister, I will always be there for you. I want you to know it,” he said seriously.

“I do know it,” I looked up at him.

“I’ll be here for you even when I won’t be near. I will always look after you Em. Even after death.”

“No. Shut up. I don’t want to hear this. You are not gonna die. We are probably immortal anyway,” I turned my back to him.

“No one will live forever, Em. We may live longer but not that long. Take it this way. When I die, the car is only yours,” he hugged me from behind and I felt him smiling.

“I don’t want the bloody car without you,” I looked at him with tears in my eyes. “Don’t you ever dare to leave me alone in this world, Daniel!”

He kissed the top of my head but didn’t say anything.

* * *

 

“Emery?” Wanda called.

“It is my car,” I said quietly and sighed. ”But we are taking that one,” I pointed at my small pastel blue Fiat parked in the corner.

“Oh, that looks totally as a car a princess like you would have,” Pietro laughed.

“Pietro!” Wanda hissed. “Stop it.”

“What? Look that’s STARK4. It would be even better if it was STARKJR. Am I right Stark junior?”

“Whatever,” I pushed out of myself, clenching and unclenching my fists. _‘How will I survive this shopping when he’s coming along? And I still have that damn headache!’_

We spent more than two hours going from shop to shop. It’s really not my favorite thing to do but with Wanda it was at least fun. We were also making fun of grumpy Pietro who unwillingly had to try on everything Wanda found for him. Even I bought some new clothes, not that I would need them, but, you know. One can’t just look at others buying new clothes.

Before we left I bought an ice-cream for the three of us. When Wanda went to find some free table Pietro finally had the chance to be alone with me.

“So, how’s the training going?” I asked him casually while waiting for his portion of ice-cream. I was also trying to ignore the pressure in the back of my mind.

When he didn’t answer I turned and saw him staring intensely at me, concentrating on god-knows-what. I scowled and crossed my arms, staring back at him.

“Here’s your ice-cream, handsome,” a girl around my age said from behind me.

That got his attention. “Oh, thank you,” he smiled and winked at me.

I raised my brows. _‘What the hell is his play, seriously? I never had so much trouble figuring someone before.’_

He took the ice-cream from the girl and gave her the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen. He was flirting with her.

“What’s you name beautiful?” he asked her.

 _‘No, please sister, don’t play along,’_ I thought.

“Claire,” she said and combed her blonde hair with her fingers. “What’s yours? You have a cute accent.”

 _‘Somebody please kill me.’_ I face-palmed.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I’m Pietro,” he purred, took her hand and kissed it.

She giggled and blushed.

_‘I’m gonna throw up. How can she fall for it?’_

“You have plans for tonight?” he asked.

“Oh, please!” I rolled my eyes.

They looked at me, angry that I interrupted them.

 _‘Did I say it out loud?’_ “You know what, Casanova, do what you want, I’m going to find your sister,” I informed him and left.

 _“Whatever princess. Whatever,”_ I suddenly heard him in my head. I turned and looked at him, shocked. He grinned. Only then I realized that the pressure in my head was gone. And so was the headache. It was him. All the time. Trying to reach me telepathically. Whether it was intentional I don't know.

Another side effect.

“Fuck.” I share a connection with Pietro, as I did with Danny.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm really sorry that I'm posting new chapter so late but I had a lot of work. Earning money by writing stories is only my dream unfortunately so I have to earn them differently. The good news is that posting new chapter now means that you don't have to wait so long for another. Anyway I hope you like it and again thanks for kudos and comments. It means a lot. And enjoy the chapter :)
> 
> sentences written in « » are spoken in Russian  
> "krasota" = beauty  
> "Bozhe moy" = Oh my god

I wish I could say the rest of the week went really well, but I can’t. Mostly I tried to avoid meeting Pietro or coming into the tower at all. I was so pissed off that I was afraid I’ll lose it when I see him and seriously hurt him. But at the same time I needed to let that anger out somehow so that’s how I ended up in the training room the night after the shopping. I changed into my training clothes and decided to box the anger out. After my angry attack the boxing bag ended up completely destroyed. But I felt at least a bit better. I cleaned the mess up, took a shower and with a peace in my soul left the training room. But here I did the stupid thing. I was hungry and it was late so I knew that when I come home I’ll go straight to bed. I decided that a little sneaking into the kitchen in the tower will be harmless. God, I was so wrong. I shouldn’t have gone there or at least I should’ve just teleported there and then back into the garage. But no. I went through the halls and living quarters on my way back. I don’t know why. Maybe I wanted to check my old room. I never got a chance to live there for real. Soon after dad built the tower, the Avengers moved in. But I still had some things there. I never took them. There were too many memories.

As I entered the room my sight fell on the pictures on the shelf. When I lived here for that short time, I was a different person. A happy person. I had Danny.

I sat down on the bed and realized why I was so angry about that new side effect of bringing Pietro back to life. It wasn’t just because he was so annoying and arrogant, although it played a small role in it too. It was because he stole something that I shared with Danny and Danny alone. It wasn’t fair. I wanted that connection back, I craved it, but I’ve never wanted to have it back this way. I wanted Danny back. Now Pietro has something that belonged only to my brother and he’s making fun of it.

I lied down and thought about whether to go home or to stay here. _‘Bobby’s waiting for you at home,’_ my brain told me. _’And also the chance of meeting Pietro there is zero percent.’_ That kind of persuaded me and I took my bag and was about to leave when I saw boxes on the other side of the room. As I said before, I haven’t been here for a long time but I knew for sure the boxes weren’t mine. I looked inside of one of them and stared at its content in shock. Those were Danny’s things. He had it in his room, which was exactly next to mine. Someone cleared the room and moved his things here. I still had the key from it so I thought I can check it out. That it won’t be so painful without his things there. But I was already angry about it. How dared they. _‘It should be me. I should’ve packed his things. But I couldn’t. It was year and half and I couldn’t even look at them without those stupid tears filling my eyes.’_

I locked my room and was about to unlock Danny’s when I heard voices. They were laughing, well, only one of them. The other was giggling. I jumped behind a large flower pot with an overgrown palm and hoped no one would see me. When I saw who it was I felt a need to break the pot with my head. Why was I so stupid? Coming into the living quarters when I wanted to avoid him.

Claire, that girl from earlier today was with him. She looked a bit drunk. She leant into him and kissed him hungrily. He was quickly searching for something in his pockets. Probably a key to the door.

“Krasota, wait a second. I have to find the damn key,” he said when he tried to free himself from her embrace.

“Hmmm, I love it when you call me things in Russian,” she whispered seductively and licked her lips.

_‘I swear I’m going to teleport from here and I don’t care if they see it. I can’t look at this. I can’t turn off my empathy. I don’t want to feel what they do. God, I think I might throw up.’_

That’s when Pietro finally found the key and was about to unlock the door. I finally realized which door he’s opening. The door leading into Danny’s old room. Suddenly two things were fighting over each other inside of me. The need to get away from here and cry and the need to break something, preferably something in Pietro’s body.

 _“Fuck off, Pietro, and find another damn room!”_ I told him telepathically. Well, it was definitely worth it. He looked so shocked that he almost fell backwards into the room. It was almost impossible to hold that laugh inside of me but I did.

“Is something wrong, Pietro?” Claire asked him struggling over the ‘r’ in his name.

“No,” he said looking from side to side searching for me. He wasn’t that lucky. _“I don’t know where you are or how you can see what I’m doing, but watch this, Stark junior.”_ And with that he took Claire by the waist and pulled her with him inside the room. Then he turned one last time and stuck his tongue out and closed the door.

_‘So it wasn’t enough for him to take mine and Danny’s telepathic connection but now he has even his room! Alright, Casanova, this means war.’_

I haven’t used my telekinesis for some time because it’s unstable but my anger reached the level when I stopped caring and I carefully lifted the large flower pot and placed it in the doorway of ‘Pietro’s’ new room so he would have a little present when he comes out in the morning, the palm making it impossible to actually leave the room. I even thought about cracking the pot so all the soil would fall on the doorstep but the poor palm tree hasn’t done anything to anyone so I let it be and walked away.

When I came home I didn’t even try to be quiet. It was something after midnight. As I went through the living room I nearly got a heart attack when the lights suddenly turned on.

“Where were you?” dad asked with anger in his voice.

“Out,” I shrugged and threw the shopping bags on the couch. I wasn’t in the mood for talking. Then I realized he’s not alone there. Vision was seated in the armchair.

“Hello again, miss Stark,” he said and smiled.

“Hi,” I said on my way to the kitchen. I took a bottle of beer from the fridge and came back. “You can call me Emery or Em,” I told him and tried to smile.

“Alright then, Emery,” Vision smiled.

“It’s nice you two are having a chitchat but I asked you something,” dad said.

“And I answered.”

“That wasn’t an answer! Where were you, Em? You weren’t picking up your phone and then it was turned off. Bobby was worried, Pepper was worried, even I was worried. When I called Helen she said you left with the Maximoffs. I don’t trust them and I would prefer if you wouldn’t be much around them.”

“See, there’s your answer dad. I was with the twins. What more do you want? And besides, Wanda’s great and I trust her. Pietro is…. a completely different thing,” I whispered the last part.

“They hate me and I don’t want you to be caught in the middle.”

“Yes, they don’t like you but they are not bad. They realized their mistakes. And if you need to know, we were shopping. They needed clothes and other stuff. I wanted to help,” I explained and took a sip from the bottle. “That was really dangerous.”

“You are angry,” Vision observed.

“And you are curious why.” I looked at him.

“Well you were already angry when you came here. Maybe I’m a bit curious, yes.”

“Pietro pissed me off,” I confessed.

“What has he done?” dad asked angrily.

“Nothing, he’s just being his annoying self. I saved his damn life, I was nice and polite and everything. But if he wants war, war he shall have.”

“A war?” Vision asked confused.

“Of pranks. I placed a large flower pot with a palm tree in front of his door. I would like to see his face in the morning when he realizes he can’t get out of his damn room. It’s too heavy to push it aside,” I grinned.

“Then how did you managed to move it?”

“Like this,” I lifted the whole couch I was sitting on into the air with my mind.

“You are using your telekinesis and you didn’t blow anything up,” dad said, shocked.

“The trick is to keep the anger at bay. But it’s like using an untrained muscle. I guess I have to practice it more,” I told them while putting the couch back down. “I guess I can’t keep the anger in, I have to let it out somehow.”

“So that’s where you were, right? Letting the anger out,” Vision smiled a triumphant smile.

“You got me. I sneaked into the training room and was boxing and training for the rest of the evening. Then I found out someone cleared Danny’s room and afterwards, that Pietro is now living in there.” I looked at dad. “I’m going to sleep or else I get angry again. I have lectures tomorrow.”

“Alright then. Good night, Em,” Vision said.

“Good night both of you.”

Dad was lost in his thoughts. I guess that means he didn’t know about it either. I think it’s good I didn’t tell them about my telepathic connection with Pietro. The less people know about it, the better. Wanda already does and I’ll have to tell Helen because she would find out either way. It has to be written in the report. And maybe I’ll tell Nat too.

** Wanda **

Shopping with Em was fun. It was actually quite relaxing. I’ve never experienced something like that, not only because we never had enough money but also because we didn’t have such a big shopping center in Sokovia. It wasn’t probably so special for Emery. She had to do it hundreds of times with her girlfriends or her mother. _‘Thinking of her mother, who knows where she is now. Stark is with Pepper (it’s a weird nickname) and they have a small son. Maybe they got divorced or she left them. I don’t even want to think about the third option. I know very well how it feels to lose parents. I hope her mom is alive and well.’_ I didn’t even had a chance to go shopping with my mom and I never had a lot of girlfriends to go with. Maybe as a small kid I had, but then after our parents died and we ended up in the orphanage it was different. Those friendships never lasted for long and other kids didn’t want to do anything with orphans. Those few friends I had, left Sokovia after some time. They went to search for a better life.

“Bozhe moy,” I groaned and buried my face in the pillow. _‘Why am I thinking about sad things? I don’t want to. OK. Now I have a chance to have a real friend. As pathetic as it sounds, it would be really nice to have one. It was always just me and Pietro. Where the heck is he anyway?’_ I thought. He said he needs to take care of something and I had that feeling that ‘something’ meant the girl who gave him her number today.

After some time I heard voices in the hall. I knew that’s him and the girl. I rather didn’t think about it much, as always, and satisfied that he’s back here and is safe I finally fell asleep.

The start of the next day was really funny. Well, maybe it was only me who was laughing but still. When I woke up it was around seven in the morning. I’m a morning person, not like my brother. He can sleep until noon. This time it was different. I was in the middle of making a breakfast for me and chatting with Natasha when I heard his voice in my head.

_“Wanda? Could you please come to my room? I really need your help.”_

_“What have you done this time?”_ I asked him.

_“Nothing, I swear. Just come here, please.”_

When I came to his door I stood there and stared openmouthed at the huge palm tree standing exactly in Pietro’s doorway. He couldn’t get out, and through the leaves of the palm I could see him standing there helpless, red with anger. I started laughing.

“Is something funny? Because I can’t get out of my damn room!”

I tried to say something but it was nearly impossible through the laughing fit I had.

“Are you going to laugh there whole day, Wanda, or are you going to move the stupid tree away?”

“Alright, alright,” I said, still laughing.

I released my telekinetic power and the flower pot was enveloped in a surge of red energy and lifted into air. I moved it back on the place I thought it has been before and then turned back to Pietro.

“Satisfied?”

“Yes.”

The girl from yesterday walked out the door and sized me up. I could see what’s going through her head. She didn’t know I’m Pietro’s sister.

“Well, I guess see ya later, alligator,” she told him and kissed him.

I rolled my eyes.

Then she turned to leave but stopped to say: “Call me.”

Pietro just smiled.

“He won’t,” I called after her. “He never does.”

She was angry. I could tell. She turned on her heel and stomped out of there.

“Why did you say that?” Pietro looked at me questioningly.

“At least somebody has to be honest. It’s true Pietro, you never called any of them again.”

“But she didn’t have to know that.”

“And you think that giving her false hopes is fair? It’s not.”

“Whatever.” He walked back into his room. I followed him.

“Geez, Pietro, that’s a mess. You ever heard of cleaning up? This is just the second night here and look at this,” I picked up his t-shirt from the ground.

“It’s my room, Wanda. If I want to have that mess I can have it,” he took the t-shirt from me and threw it on the bed.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

He just shrugged and took his training clothes to the bathroom. I sat on a chair.

«You know, it was that small blond trickster. She put that palm tree in my door,»he called from behind the door.

«How do you know it was her? Have you seen her?»

«No, but she saw me so she had to be near. I don’t know why she didn’t like me going into this room. She told me telepathically.»

«The whole thing was heavy as hell. There’s no way…»

«She did it the same way you did. You told me she has telekinesis too,» he cut in. «If the princess wants a war, she can have it.»

«Pietro! Don’t do this. She hasn’t done anything. You started this.»

«I did? »

«Yes. With your arrogant behavior. She saved you, she was nice and friendly but you…»

«I don’t trust her.»

«You know nothing about her. Look I finally can have a friend so don’t you dare ruin it,» I said with anger in my voice.

“Wanda,” he caught my hand and turned me around.

«Don’t. Nat is waiting for you. You have to train to be fit again.» I turned to leave but then changed my mind and kissed him on the cheek. «Please, just try to get to know her. Don’t mess it up.»

«Alright,» he sighed.

I smiled and pulled him towards the door.

«But I have to get revenge for the damn tree first,» he grinned.

I face-palmed. This is not going to end well.

 

I assisted Pietro on his training session for a while and even I trained a bit but then he was about to practice his running so I left him in Nat’s hands and left to do something different. When I came to my room I went straight into the shower and later I took one of the books I bought yesterday with me and went to sit in the lounge. I checked my phone and realized I had a missed call. Emery. I decided to call her back.

“Hey!” she said after a long while. I already thought she won’t pick up.

“Hi, Em. Have you called me?”

“Yeah, I did. I was waiting for a lecture to start and I just thought that I’ll call you.”

“Ah. Is that the whole reason?” I laughed. “Or did you want to know how your palm tree is doing?”

“Huh? Erm…I…yeah,” she admitted.

“Well, what should I say? It was a really funny morning.” I told her everything and we laughed together.

“But why did you do it? He said you didn’t like he was going into that room,” I asked her, curious.

“Well…I…my old room is right next to it,” she said.

“You lived here?”

“For a while. But it was before the Avengers moved in. I lived there when it was Stark tower. Then we moved in the suburban of New York. Speaking of, you have to come over sometimes. I have a lot of books, you can borrow some of them.”

 “Okay. That sounds great. But won’t your father be against it?”

“Let me deal with him. He’ll come around,” she laughed. “OK, I have to go; we are in the hospital practicing medical stuff.”

“Alright. See you later, then?”

“Yeah, sure, see you later, Wanda,” she said in a hurry and before she cancelled the call I could hear her shout: “I’m coming, jeez!”

I chuckled and put the phone aside. I took a sip from a lemonade, found more comfortable position on the sofa and finally started to read the book. I love reading.

 

It was Sunday and I was seated on the sofa again with the book in my hand. Pietro was training and I had nothing to do. I already checked the labs twice to see if Emery’s working but she wasn’t there and Dr. Cho said she is home and that she doesn’t know when she’s coming to the lab again. I called her and she told me she has an exam next week so she has to study for it.

I was so concentrated on the book plot that I didn’t even realize I’m not alone anymore. When I finally saw Vision standing across the room, looking at me, I almost got a heart attack.

“I’m sorry I scared you, miss Maximoff.”

“It’s okay,” I smiled. “I was too focused on the book.”

“You seem to enjoy reading very much. You are already reading a second book in three days.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, surprised.

“Well, as you said, you tend to be too focused on the book. I saw you reading when I was here with Mr. Stark before.”

“Oh, you were here? I guess I shouldn’t be so focused on one thing.” I pulled my hair behind my ear.

“No, no. It’s actually really nice when you can focus on something like that.”

I smiled.

“Would you mind if I joined you?”

“No, of course not. I don’t have anything to do anyway. I would like some company,” I told him.

He came over and joined me on the sofa. His cape was flowing behind him so gracefully. I had to smile at the memory of him creating a cape similar to the one Thor has.

“We didn’t even have a proper chance to speak to each other; I’m sorry, miss Maximoff.”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You were busy. But I’m glad we are talking now. You are quite interesting,” I admitted. “And also, please, call me Wanda.”

We shook hands at first and then he looked at mine, took it and kissed it. I have no idea why but I blushed. _‘A humanoid with manners. Pietro could learn from him.’_

“Well, and you can call me…hm…Vision,” he laughed softly.

“Alright,” I joined in. “So, you are staying. Joining the Avengers, right?”

“Yes. You too, as I heard.”

“Yeah. It was hard to persuade my brother but eventually I succeeded,” I smiled. “We don’t have anywhere to go.”

“How is he?”

“He’s fine. He’s his stubborn self again. But he has to work on his running.”

“And you? How are you?”

“Hmm, I’m good, thank you. No one really asked me that,” I said surprised with his question. “I plan on going out, to see the city. When Pietro will have time for it too.”

“If your brother will be busy I could accompany you if you wished so,” he offered.

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”

I don’t know for how long we were talking but I had a great time. I found out I really enjoy Vision’s company. He wasn’t like everyone else. He listened carefully to every word I said and I could talk about anything with him.

“You are unique,” I told him.

“So is everyone on this planet, or better said, in this universe.”

“I mean look at you,” I pointed my hand at him. “May I?” I asked before reaching for his hand.

He nodded.

“Your skin is so…it feels so real, so soft. I mean I was there when they created you but I never thought they can actually create a living body.”

“I’m not a human,” he said with a smile.

“But you are alive. You are not just artificial intelligence as they are saying. You have your own mind. I can see it. I can feel it. You are far more than what they say. When you were in the cradle I saw you dreaming.”

“I don’t require sleep.”

“But you enjoy it. You do dream,” I told him and chuckled. “I can see the truth, Vision.”

His eyes were amazing. He didn’t look away, he too, was looking into mine as if searching for something. I smiled.

“Wanda?” Pietro’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Huh? Pietro!” I stood up fast.

“What were you two doing?” he asked, suspicious.

“We were talking, Mr. Maximoff,” Vision clarified.

“Uh huh. Alright, mind if I join you?”

“No. I’m already on my way. It was nice to talk to you, Wanda. I will see you later,” he smiled and turned to leave.

“Yeah. See you around, Vision,” I told him.

“Wanda, huh?” Pietro asked.

“What? We are on the same team so we better call each other with first names.”

“I had a vision that you dreamed of the Vision,” Pietro babbled and started laughing.

“Moron. Let’s go out,” I suggested.

“Cap’s not here. Natasha is who-knows-where and…”

“We don’t need a permission to go out. We’ll leave a note if someone would search for us.”

I wrote a note on a piece of paper and pulled Pietro by the hand.

“Let’s go.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I have good news and bad news. Good news is that I have a new chapter for you and that it's a bit longer (at least I think) than usually. The bad news is that another chapter will be maybe in three weeks. I'm so sorry. I'm leaving on my private little expedition/vacation (finally). I'm coming back on 15th september and I hope I'll be lucky enough to write a new chapter until the end of that week. Thanks for comments and kudos and feel free to leave more. I hope you'll have a lovely start of september. Enjoy the new chapter!

“It’s weird,” I told Pietro when we were out next Thursday. It became a habit to go into the city every day. We always ended up in the Central Park. Pietro really liked it because he could meet some naïve girl almost every day. I still didn’t understand how they could fall for the bullshit he was telling them, but I didn’t interfere again.

“What’s weird?” he asked while eyeing a random girl.

“This,” I spread my arms. “Everything. It’s so calm here. When I compare it to the chaos we lived in our whole lives. It’s nice. I could get used to it. We can have a normal life, Pietro.”

“Yeah? Don’t forget we are a part of the Avengers now. I guess things won’t be so peaceful all the time. Just wait until they call us on a mission. I think it would be nice for a change. I’m getting bored.”

“Of course. As usually. But they are still just training us and you still don’t hold an upper hand over your powers. You could get hurt again. You have to be patient,” I said while hooking my arm through his.

“Patience is not my strongest suit.”

“Hmm, you don’t say,” I laughed.

It was quite warm today; I could feel the summer was slowly coming. Everyone was enjoying the sunny day, from couples cuddling on the benches, jogging people, mothers (or nannies) with their children to individuals laying on the lawn listening to music.

“Wanda?” Pietro asked after a while.

“Yes?” I looked at him but he turned his sight sideways.

“Never mind.”

“What? Don’t act like you weren’t about to ask me something. Spit it out, Pietro,” I kept looking at him with raised brows.

“It was nothing. A stupid thing, really,” he scratched his neck.

“You are nervous. I’m curious. If you don’t tell me I’m going to find my own way,” I threatened.

“Fine,” he grunted. “Did you talk to princess lately? I’m just wondering, she hasn’t shown her medical ass over here for a while now. I thought that when she’s my doctor…”

“Oh, you miss her. That’s so sweet,” I laughed so hard that an old couple sitting nearby looked our way.

“I don’t miss her,” Pietro hissed and rolled his eyes. “I’m just…curious.”

“Oh, really?” I continued laughing. “If you need to know; yes I did talk to her. She called me and said she’ll come tomorrow. She had an exam or something and they keep her busy at the hospital. She also said that she needs to lose the paparazzi and journalists from her tail because they are about to find out she has something to do with the Avengers. Well, except the fact that her father is one of them. Are you satisfied now?”

He nodded.

“She has to like the attention of the paparazzi. Just like Stark. She had them around her whole life,” he hummed.

“Why do you think that? She told me she hates them. That every time Stark messes things up, she gets an even higher attention as if they thought she would know about everything and have an answer to anything. Can you imagine what it has to be like for her?”

“I wouldn’t mind it. Much. Maybe,” he looked at me and saw my expression of disbelief. “And maybe I would.”

“See? The fact they are rich doesn’t mean she had a great life so far. So don’t judge her so much. And be nice tomorrow,” I scolded him.

“Alright. But I still didn’t get my revenge for the…ouch.”

I smacked him on the arm. He started laughing. But in a few seconds his expression changed to a serious one. With his fast senses he saw something I didn’t. There was a small kid, maybe around five, running after his ball. He didn’t see the small group of cyclists heading his way. They weren’t paying attention too. Sooner than I was able to shout out at them, Pietro sped out in a blur and next second I saw him standing on the other side of the track with that little boy while cyclists went past them. I jogged to reach them.

“Are you alright?” I asked him. He looked a little short of breath but otherwise OK.

“I’m fine. But you,” he turned to the boy,” could have ended up under their wheels. You should be more careful next time.” Pietro ruffled the kid’s curly hair.

The boy nodded wildly, still in shock from what just happened.

“You are really fast,” he said.

“I can be even faster if I want to,” Pietro grinned, sassy as always. “I’m Pietro and this is my sister, Wanda.”

“What’s your name, little one?” I squatted down to reach his height level.

“Bobby,” he smiled.

“And didn’t your parents teach you you shouldn’t speak with strangers? Where’s your mom?” Pietro asked him.

“She fell asleep,” he murmured.

“OK and can you show us where?” I smiled. _‘How can someone fall asleep while watching over a kid?’_

“There,” he pointed on the clearing and so we went that way. We reached their blanket in a few minutes. They obviously had a picnic. However, no one was there.

“She was right here,” Bobby said, now sounding a bit scared.

“She’s probably searching for you,” I cupped his small face in my palms. “It’s going to be alright.”

“BOBBY!” I heard a shout from behind me and at the same time I felt Pietro going stiff. I turned around and couldn’t believe what I saw.

“Where the hell have you been? You scared me! Are you alright, sweetheart?” Emery knelt down in front of him and hugged him really tight. She didn’t see us. Yet.

I looked at Pietro. _“Emery is his…”_

 _“Mom?”_ he finished.

I shrugged.

“We found him over there playing with his ball,” I told her.

“Wanda?” she asked, surprised to see me and then looked at Pietro.

I could see the number of questions he had written all over his face but he remained quiet and crossed his arms.

“Thank you,” Em sighed and hugged me.

“It was actually Pietro who saved him from being hit by a group of cyclists,” I winked at him, grinning.

“What? Bobby! I told you to be careful! I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. Do you understand?” She leaned down and kissed him on the head.

Bobby nodded and refused to let go of Emery’s hand. She had to pull it out of his grasp and then she hugged Pietro without thinking twice. My grin widened even more.

“Thank you, Pietro. Really,” she murmured into his chest.

At first it looked like he doesn’t know what to do but then he hugged her back. The sad thing was that few seconds later Em realized what she did and stepped back. _‘Is that a blush I can see on her face?’_

“Thanks again,” she said quietly and pulled her hair behind her ear.

“You are welcome,” Pietro smiled for a second and then crossed his arms again. “But next time maybe you shouldn’t fall asleep when you are looking after a kid.”

And just like that he ruined it. Again.

“Excuse me?” Em gasped.

“Hey, Bobby? Do you want to play with the ball with me?” I asked him. He doesn’t need to listen to these two.

“Yes,” his face lit up and we went a bit further.

 “I was tired. I haven’t slept well in…that’s not even your business. Maybe I nodded off for a minute. I know I shouldn’t have, but it’s not your place to give me parenting advice,” Em raised her voice.

“OK! If it wasn’t for me he would’ve ended up under their wheels because you weren’t able to watch over him. But as you wish, he’s your child. Which is really funny because you aren’t able to take care of yourself, still living under daddy’s wing. How can you take care of a child? But with those money your father has it’s probably not so hard.”

From the place I was I could see Em flinch. He hit the soft spot and I felt he was satisfied with himself.

 _“Pietro, stop! Don’t make it worse than it already is,”_ I told him.

“You know nothing. So don’t you dare to judge me again,” Emery said so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.

I threw the ball back to Bobby. He caught it and returned it to me again. It was quiet now. I looked sideways and saw Em packing everything up with her back turned towards Pietro. And me too. Pietro was standing near and didn’t know what to do. I could feel he was sorry, now that he calmed down.

When our eyes met I told him: _“Go and say you are sorry.”_

He didn’t respond.

_“Pietro, for the love of God, don’t be so stubborn. I know you are sorry. She doesn’t. Tell her!”_

He looked at Em. She was still kneeling on the grass even when she’d already packed everything. The protective wall of her mind shivered. Suddenly I was hit with her sadness. Or more like agony. I could see someone’s face in her mind. It was a very handsome young man. She loved him. She still does. But he’s gone. Then she pulled herself together and pushed me out of her head.

That is how I found out how broken she is inside. In that single moment I finally understood her completely. Whatever secret she’s hiding, she’s doing so to protect herself. She’ll speak about it when she’ll be ready and she’ll tell it only to someone she can trust.

** Pietro **

I knew I was too harsh on Emery but it was too late to take back what I said. I didn’t know it would have that effect on her. I hurt her and I guess I should feel great about it. I got what I wanted but in fact I felt terrible. I decided to do something I don’t usually do.

“Hey, princess, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“What? Be an asshole?” she stood up and looked at me coldly. I could see tears glittering in her emerald eyes.

“You are right. I don’t know anything about you. I didn’t even know that you have a child,” I told her softly.

She didn’t trust me. She didn’t believe me when I said it. _‘Maybe if I showed her…’_ I grabbed her wrist and allowed her to see my mind. She gasped and stepped away, releasing her wrist from my hand. When she looked at me again it wasn’t with that cold stare anymore.

“Let’s say I believe you are sorry, but you are still an asshole,” she smirked.

“Well, I guess that’s better than nothing. What could I expect after my behavior towards you? Another hug?” I grinned.

Em took her purse and the bag with picnic things and looked at me, amused.

“Hug, huh? More like a kick in the ass.” She was about to call Bobby but when she saw him playing with Wanda, both with huge grins on their faces, she stood beside me and let them play.

“He’s my child in many ways, but not in the most important one,” she said so quietly I almost didn’t hear. Maybe she wished I didn’t but at the same time she wanted to tell me.

“You are not his mom?” I looked at her, curious.

“I’m just twenty three and he’s almost five. What do you think of me, Casanova?”

“It’s just that he said you…”

“I am his mom in his eyes, yes. I’m raising him, along with Pepper and dad. He grew attached to me. He lost so much that he doesn’t want to lose anyone else,” she looked on the ground and sighed.

Suddenly I had a feeling she knows exactly how Bobby feels not because of her telepathic abilities but because she went through the same thing. But I pushed that thought aside. _‘It’s bullshit.’_

“Should I even ask where his parents are?” I asked carefully.

“If you don’t know it by now. They are…gone,” was all she said.

The poor kid is an orphan. Just like me and Wanda.

“When? How?” I asked without thinking.

“He doesn’t remember them much. He was three at that time. It’s complicated. I can’t…” she said with a trembling voice. “I’m sorry.”

I saw fresh tears in her eyes so I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She leaned into my side and I stroked her arm. At first she flinched a bit but when she realized she can’t read my mind she relaxed and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“You knew them well, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” she whispered. “How’s your training going anyway?” she changed the subject.

“Good, I think. But I still can’t run as fast for as long as before. It’s driving me nuts, to be honest. You are my doctor, so how long will it take?”

“Baby steps, speedy,” she told me and jabbed me in the side with her elbow.

“Ouch,” I stepped away, massaging the painful spot.

“I’m sorry, did it hurt?” she asked with a wicked smile.

“You can change moods really fast, Rapunzel. What’s with the speedy thing, by the way?”

“I finally had time to find a proper nickname for you. I don’t care if you like it or not. I love it,” she laughed.

“Oh, I see. Could’ve been worse,” I shrugged.

“I have another one too,” she snickered.

“Say it,” I stepped towards her.

She stood on her toes to be higher and leaned closer. “Nope. Not telling you, Casanova.”

Then she stepped away and went to join Wanda and Bobby.

I groaned in frustration. _‘This princess will drive me crazy.’_

“OK, buddy, it’s time to go home,” Emery ordered.

“But I don’t want to,” Bobby disagreed.

“You can play at home too.”

“And can Wanda and Pietro come with us?” His face lit up with expectations. My name sounded more like Pieto when he said it.

“They can come anytime. I already told them. But not today, sweetie, I have some things to finish.”

Bobby looked really sad and tried the puppy eyes technique on Emery. But she took the ball and signaled for him to move. He turned his back on her and refused to go.

“The stubbornness of Starks,” Em murmured, annoyed. “Alright, then I’m not taking you to see the Avengers tower tomorrow.”

She obviously knew how to persuade him because he turned back to her and suddenly was ready to go home.

“I’ll see the Avengers!” he shouted and was jumping around Emery.

“You have one Avenger at home and other two right here,” she pointed towards me and Wanda.

“Are you Avengers?” Bobby asked, his big brown eyes getting even bigger.

“We are still in training and…” Wanda started but I cut her off.

“Yes, we are. We fought against an army of robots with the rest of the Avengers.”

“That’s super cool. Was Thor there, too?”

“Thor’s his favorite one,” Emery clarified. _“Much to dad’s ego,”_ she added telepathically.

“Yes, even Thor,” I chuckled.

“Alright, now we really have to go. Say bye. You’ll see them tomorrow.”

“Bye, Wanda,” he told her and she hugged him.

“See you tomorrow, Bobby,” she smiled.

“Bye, Pieto,” he came to me.

“Bye, Bobby. And be careful,” I ruffled his hair.

He nodded and joined Emery.

“See you tomorrow, guys,” she called and they left. I still could see Bobby jumping up and down as they walked and excitedly telling something to Emery.

“Now this was interesting,” Wanda smiled.

“It was indeed,” I said and we continued on our walk through the park.

 

_I was laying on my bed, too tired to move. Everything in my body hurt. Every single cell. I just underwent the third stage of Strucker’s enhancing process. They told me it should be the last one. He said only one patient made it this far and finally after the third stage developed new powers._

_I had to listen to Wanda’s screams again. This time I didn’t protest. I didn’t do anything. I just laid there trying to push her screams out of my mind. Her soft begging for them to stop. Only later I realized no one else heard it because it was only in my mind._

_“Pietro…I won’t make it,” she said in my mind._

_“NO! Don’t say that! You have to survive Wanda. I can’t lose you. I know it hurts but you have to keep fighting,” I told her in my head, wishing she heard it somehow._

_She did. But after a while I lost that connection. I couldn’t hear her screams anymore. I panicked and was calling her name both in my mind and aloud. No answer came. For hours. I thought I lost her._

_The scene changed and I was sitting on the bed, agitated. Wanda was in her cell next to mine. She already developed powers. I didn’t understand much of what they said about her powers, only telepathy and telekinesis. I, on the other hand, was still ‘normal’. They were even talking about stage four in my case. I lost it a few times and shouted at them. I thought I was going nuts. I was pacing back and forth in my cell as mad man. Then I sat and then I repeated it. Suddenly my hand started shaking violently and I jumped up and wanted to walk the nerves off but I hit the wall. When I tried to move again, I hit another wall. The world around me slowed down. I finally got my power. I was super-fast._

_The scene changed again. Rubble and ruin everywhere I looked. The fight died down. There were no more robots to kill. Every civilian was already on the ships. Then out of nowhere I heard gunshots. I could hear it’s not just a normal gun but a mechanical one. Then I saw the Avenger’s jet flying towards Hawkeye and a little kid he wanted to get to safety. I had to do something. ‘I can be faster than a bullet right? Right?’ I stopped thinking and ran to their aid. I saw a car so I moved it to shield them. A second later I stood there, my body pierced with bullet holes._

_“Pietro?” I could hear Wanda’s scared voice in my head._

_“I’m sorry,” I told her telepathically._

_“You didn’t see that coming,” I looked at the old man and grinned one last time. Then everything went black._

I sat up in my bed, short of breath and covered in sweat. I looked at my chest. No bullet holes. Another nightmare. I looked at the time. Four in the morning. _‘Great.’_

I decided I’ll go and have a snack in the kitchen. I was hungry. The good thing is that no one is usually up at this time so no one will bother me and ask me stupid questions. I took a glass of milk and found some biscuits. I sat in the lounge then, looking over the city. _‘When will the nightmares stop?’_

 

“Morning, sunshine,” an unfamiliar voice called from somewhere above me. I sat up and realized I fell asleep on the sofa in the lounge.

“Is he finally awake?” Wanda came over and sat beside me.

The guy that woke me was leaning against the sofa and grinning from ear to ear. I haven’t seen him before.

“Pietro, this is Sam Wilson. A friend of Steve,” Wanda introduced him.

“Hey,” he said and shook my hand. “Heard you are really fast.”

“Yeah. Could be even faster,” I sighed.

I looked around. Almost everyone was there, except Hulk, who was still missing, and Thor. Even Barton was back. Besides the original Avengers, Hill and this guy Sam, there were also Dr. Cho and another Afro-American standing close to Stark.

“Are you OK?” Wanda asked, worried.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Alright, because we are having a briefing.”

“When?” I asked, confused.

“Right now,” she laughed.

“And you couldn’t wake me up sooner?”

“I tried, trust me. Maybe if Thor electrocuted you it would be more efficient but, unfortunately, he’s not here.”

“Is he always so grumpy in the morning, or is this an exception?” Sam asked.

“Depends on how he spends his night. But usually he’s like this,” Wanda chuckled.

“I’m still here.”

“Shush and listen,” she ordered me and I shut up.

“OK guys, as I said before, there are some matters we need to discuss. When everyone is finally listening,” Cap looked at me and I rolled my eyes, “we can start. Our latest mission had terrible consequences. One whole city was smashed into ruins. Fortunately there were no lost lives. Those, or more like the one who did die walked it off.”

“Thanks for a reminder,” I grumbled.

Wanda subconsciously took my hand and squeezed it.

“Anyway, we wouldn’t be able to save all those people without help from former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents under the command of Hill and Fury. This is why Avengers Initiative is now getting bigger.”

“Bigger? How big do you have in mind?” Barton asked.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. like. But unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., we are operating out in the open. Public knows about everything. They even know our identities. We are not secret agents. But that doesn’t mean public needs to know about every move. We will need a team that will operate in the secret, but we are not that far yet. We are hiring new agents. For now we have new members in our main team, our new Avengers: Wanda and Pietro, Vision, Sam Wilson as Falcon and James Rhodes as War Machine. Clint is unfortunately taking a break from avenging for now,” Cap looked at Barton who just shrugged.

“And I’m quitting completely,” Stark said suddenly and surprised most of us. “I usually make things even more complicated so I guess it’s for the best. I’ll still remain a part of the initiative but just as a consultant, investor and mechanic if you’d need one.”

 _“I can’t believe he’s quitting,”_ I thought.

 _“Who? My dad? I couldn’t believe it too but it seems he’s made his decision,”_ Em said in my head.

_“How do you…”_

_“What? You didn’t realize you are talking to me? Nice,”_ she laughed. Then she made a weird beeping sound. _“To reach Wanda please cancel your current connection and choose number one in the menu. Emery out,”_ she laughed again.

 _“No, wait! Where are you?”_ I asked her.

_“Where do you think, genius? I’m just outside the lounge, listening to your briefing. No one actually asked me to come but dad told me a few details about it at home.”_

_“You know what people say about eavesdropping,”_ I grinned.

_“At least I’m paying attention to what they say, speedy. If I were you I would listen.”_

“Pietro?” Cap asked. “Are you even here?”

“Maybe he’s sleeping again, with his eyes open,” Barton laughed.

 _“Busted,”_ Emery chuckled.

“Of course I’m here, where else would I be?” I told them while standing up.

“He should repeat what you’ve said,” Sam suggested.

“We are not in school. As I said, new base is under construction and should be up and running in few months,” Cap continued.

 _“Maybe you are listening to what is happening in here…but you can’t see it, princess.”_ And with that I opened the door and she almost fell in.

Everyone was staring at her. She was red with embarrassment.

“Busted,” I whispered and snickered.

“I totallywasn’t eavesdropping. I justwent aroundandheard voices,” she pushed from herself so fast that the words blended together.

“How did you know she’s behind the door?” Stark asked.

“Well…I…uh…”

“I told him,” Wanda spoke up.

“Alright. Emery, you can join us,” Hill told her with smile and Emery shot me a death stare.

I grinned. She was in the mood.

“After you, Rapunzel,” I teased her.

“I hope we can finish this now without further interruptions. Where was I?” Cap scratched his head.

Emery and I chuckled at the same time. Then she shot me another death stare. I raised my hands in defense. She moved past me and sat beside Wanda. I went after her and took a place on Wanda’s other side.

“The new base,” Natasha face-palmed.

I tried my luck and looked at Em. She was smiling.

“Yeah. With the new base there’ll also be new labs and a training facility. We are also widening our science division and hiring scientists we worked with before and some of the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s former specialists.”

“Tell her,” Stark cut him off.

“That means you are now an official member of the Avengers Science Division, Emery,” Nat clarified.

“And I wasn’t before? I thought I was,” Emery said.

“Even ASD wasn’t official before. Actually, nothing is official yet. We are planning a press conference where we will make it official. They have too many questions and we can’t ignore them anymore,” Hill said.

“That means I’ll finally get paid?” Emery asked innocently and everyone started laughing.

“Yes, you will. It will also count as your practical training and you won’t have to spend so much time on the training done by your university,” Hill continued.

“Oh, God,” Em gasped. “I…I don’t know how to thank you enough for that opportunity.”

“You don’t have to. You are a valuable asset,” Cap smiled. “Also we’ve got intel that Hydra is taking in enhanced people. Whether they are mutants or not, we don’t know yet. Either way you are the best specialist on mutations we know about. I think your knowledge will come in handy.”

That was new. I didn’t know Hydra was taking people with powers. I always thought they only wanted to create them. Nor did I know Emery was a specialist on mutations.

“They are taking them in?” Emery asked. Something in her expression told me she wasn’t as surprised as I was. No, she was terrified by the thought.

“They are making…”

“No. We don’t know yet why they want them,” Natasha cut in, shaking her head slightly at Steve.

“You didn’t let him finish,” Emery snapped. “They are making what? They are experimenting on them, aren’t they?”

No one answered.

“Aren’t they?” she asked again, raising her voice.

“We think so, yes,” Cap confirmed. “But they won’t for long.”

The briefing didn’t last for long after that. Hill only informed us when the press conference will be and that it would probably be for best if Wanda and I wouldn’t attend it. No one knows us yet and that they could use. They need someone whose identities remain hidden. To work in secret. Now they have us two and Vision.

I thought I’d ditch the training today but I wasn’t so lucky when Natasha and Wanda came to my room and dragged me out of there. When we reached the training hall we met Emery and an overly excited Bobby. When he saw us he ran towards us to greet us.

“Bobby, this is Nat. I already told you about her. She’s the Black Widow,” Emery informed him.

“Oh, look at you. You are so grown up. Last time I saw you…well,” she looked at Em like she was sorry she mentioned it, “you were much smaller.”

Em fixed her eyes on the ground and the smile from her lips faded. But when Bobby looked at her again she acted like nothing happened.

“So, do you want to watch us train?” I asked him.

“YES!!!” he shouted in joy.

It was funny to watch Bobby while we trained. He was excited about everything we did. I could say he really liked being there. Emery hovered close to Nat and when they weren’t telling us what to do they spent their time discussing god-knows-what. When Wanda finished practicing her powers on the dummies she joined their little discussion club and I was left to do what I wanted. Well, not exactly what I wanted. I was supposed to practice my running so I did that and at the same time I was entertaining Bobby. Wanda would say I was showing off but I didn’t care as long as I heard his laughter. It’s been so long since we were kids; I almost forgot what it felt like. Growing up in Sokovia wasn’t easy for children. However, they always found something funny and entertaining to make their lives nicer. It was easier for them when they had parents. We didn’t. We only had each other and after some time it was all we needed. Of course except food, water and a place to sleep.

This little guy doesn’t remember his parents much as Emery said. He already has a better life than we ever dreamed we’d have when we were left alone in this world. Yet we are the same. Wanda, Bobby and I, we are orphans.

“Hey, Maximoff, come here for a moment,” Natasha ordered.

“Do you want to try what it feels like to go so fast?” I winked at Bobby.

“Yes. Yes,” he giggled.

I picked him up. “Ready?”

He nodded and I sped off.

When I stopped close to Wanda, Emery was looking at me in disbelief but the moment Bobby started laughing she looked at him and rolled her eyes.

“Again. Again,” he shouted.

“That’s not a good idea, sweetheart; Pietro shouldn’t run with a burden. Not yet,” Emery told him and I put him down.

“I’m sorry, buddy, Em’s a doctor; I have to do what she says. For now,” I grinned and winked at her.

“Good, because we were just discussing how well your training is going. Emery agreed that you should train more and maybe even learn some new things. We also talked about powers in general and how important is to know how to protect yourself without using any of them. So I wanna ask you, both, how good are you in hand to hand combat?” Nat asked, looking at Wanda and me.

“Hydra wanted us to practice the use of the powers only, so I don’t know a thing. But Pietro taught me some self-defense moves,” Wanda said. “But I’d like to learn more.”

“I’m quite good in hand to hand combat,” I told them casually.

“Are you?” Nat asked with a wicked smile.

I didn’t like it. It looked like she was planning something.

“Are you willing to show us how good you are?” she continued.

“Right now?”

“Yes, speedy. Right now,” Emery laughed.

 _‘Where’s the catch?’_ I thought and looked at Wanda. She was trying to hide the smile. She knew something I didn’t.

“OK, then,” I agreed. “Who do I have to fight? You?” I looked at Natasha.

“Nope. I have a better idea,” she paused. “Em, go and put on your training clothes.”

“WHAT?!” Emery and I said at the same time.

“You are kidding, aren’t you? I have to fight Emery? No. Not that it wouldn’t be fun but you want to see what I know. I can’t hold back. I don’t want to hurt her,” I explained.

They were quiet. Only Emery was looking at me with doubt written all over her face. Then she seemed to make a decision and grinned.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” she announced and looked at Bobby.

“Em, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I thought Nat meant it as a joke. Pietro could actually hurt you,” Wanda tried to change Em’s mind.

“Then it’s good I can heal fast,” she laughed. “The fight is on, Casanova.” Then she turned and left to change into something more comfortable than jeans.

_‘Damn it. Now I have to fight princess. Jokes, teasing and pranks are one thing but fight?’_

_“You have to hold back, Pietro,”_ Wanda reminded me.

_“I know. I’ll try.”_


End file.
